A Different World is a spin-off series from The Cosby Show and originally centered on Denise Huxtable and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional mixed but historically black college in the state of Virginia. After Bonet's departure in the first season, the remainder of the series primarily focused more on Southern belle Whitley Gilbert and mathematics whiz Dwayne Wayne. The series frequently depicted members of the major historically black fraternities and sororities.
Episode Ratings Grid
Every episode at a glance, color-coded by rating. Rows are episode numbers within each season, columns are seasons.
The best and worst episodes at a glance. Use this to find must-watch episodes or ones you might want to skip.
🏆 Top Episodes
#1 8.9
S5E14The Cat's in the Cradle
At a hotly contested Hillman-Virginia A&M game, Ron accepts a sucker bet from three white A&M students, then gets into a fight with them when one of them starts to spray a racial epithet on his car in revenge. In a cell, the men p...
#2
S2E20 8.8
No Means No
Dwayne fears that Freddie may face date rape when she goes out with an aggressive athlete.
#3
S4E23 8.6
If I Should Die Before I Wake
Whitley is thinking about giving up her virginity to Dwayne, but when one of her Public Speaking classmates reveals she has AIDS, Whitley has second thoughts and many students react to the classmate in ignorance.
4. S5E24 "Save the Best for Last: Part 1" 8.5
5. S5E25 "Save the Best for Last: Part 2" 8.5
6. S4E7 "Good Help Is Hard to Fire" 8.4
7. S6E8 "Baby, It's Cold Outside" 8.3
8. S2E5 "Three Girls Three" 8.2
9. S2E7 "A Stepping Stone" 8.2
10. S5E11 "Mammy Dearest" 8.2
📉 Bottom Episodes
#144
S4E6 5.8
Tales from the Exam Zone
Dwayne, Whitley, and Freddie find themselves in a different dimension--"The Exam Zone".
143. S1E22 "My Dinner with Theo" 6.1
142. S1E21 "Come Back, Little Eggby" 6.1
141. S1E12 "Advise and Descent" 6.1
140. S6E7 "The Little Mister" 6.2
The Quality Arc
Each point is an episode, plotted chronologically. The colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for upward or downward trends to see if quality improved or declined over time.
Episode Engagement
Vote count shows how many people cared enough to rate. High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
Rating threshold:
43Standouts
33Infamous
15Hidden Gems
53Forgettable
Top Standout:S5E14The Cat's in the Cradle
Most Infamous:S1E1Reconcilable Differences
Best Hidden Gem:S3E14Pride and Prejudice
Episodes plotted by rating vs. vote count. The vertical line marks the rating threshold (7.5).
More votes = more engagement. Toggle above to compare against global or show-specific median.
Series Trajectory
A simplified view: one point per season. This smooths out episode-to-episode noise to show the overall arc of the series.
Season Momentum
Did each season build momentum or fizzle out? Green arrows mean the finale rated higher than the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows = bigger swings.
Season Consistency
Some seasons are reliable bangers. Others are hit-or-miss. Each dot is an episode. Tightly clustered dots mean consistent quality. Scattered dots mean a mixed bag.
Each dot is an episode. Clustered dots = consistent quality. Scattered dots = variable season. Hover for episode details.