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The Best Episodes of A Different World Season 1

Every episode of A Different World Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of A Different World Season 1!

Binge this in 11h 0m•Peaking at 7.8/10

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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    A Different World Season 1 Episode 20 - If Only for One Night
    7.8/10(80 votes)

    S1:E20

    Whitley panics about spending the summer alone; Dwayne tries a new tack with Denise; and Maggie holds a yard sale.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. A Different World Season 1 Episode 6 - Rudy and the Snow Queen
    7.6/10(105 votes)

    S1:E6

    Rudy visits Hillman and becomes enchanted by Whitley, who tries to make her into the perfect little lady.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. A Different World Season 1 Episode 15 - Dr. Cupid
    7.6/10(79 votes)

    S1:E15

    Dwayne uses his radio persona "Dr. Cupid" to find a Valentine's Day date, and Denise uses Dr. Cupid to reconcile Lettie and an old love.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. A Different World Season 1 Episode 17 - Mr. Hillman
    7.6/10(78 votes)

    S1:E17

    In the name of sexual equality, Denise convinces Dwayne to run in the Miss Hillman Beauty Pageant against Whitley.

    Director:Matthew Diamond
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. A Different World Season 1 Episode 4 - Those Who Can't... Tutor
    7.5/10(97 votes)

    S1:E4

    Denise's calculus tutor Dwayne is caught sneaking out of Whitley's window after curfew.

    Director:Kim Friedman
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. A Different World Season 1 Episode 7 - Sometimes You Get the Bear, Sometimes the Bear Gets You
    7.5/10(87 votes)

    S1:E7

    The girls plan Operation Yogi, a plot to steal the rival school's bear-head mascot, but a visit from Denise's grandfather makes a boo-boo inevitable.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Thad Mumford

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  7. A Different World Season 1 Episode 11 - Does He or Doesn't He?
    7.4/10(82 votes)

    S1:E11

    Tired of being hit on by men, a grad student decides to turn the tables and seduce Dwayne.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Thad Mumford

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  8. A Different World Season 1 Episode 3 - Porky de Bergerac
    7.3/10(104 votes)

    S1:E3

    Questionable tactics abound when Denise plays dating games and Jaleesa is elected dorm monitor.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. A Different World Season 1 Episode 19 - Clair's Last Stand
    7.3/10(74 votes)

    S1:E19

    Clair Huxtable visits Denise bearing motherly advice as well as news that conflicts with Denise's summer plans.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Thad Mumford

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  10. A Different World Season 1 Episode 5 - War of the Words
    7.2/10(97 votes)

    S1:E5

    Whitley's claim that women can't succeed at both career and family infuriates Lisa and Maggie.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Joe Gannon

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  11. A Different World Season 1 Episode 14 - Wild Child
    7.2/10(88 votes)

    S1:E14

    Lettie pulls some strings to help a student who has been attending classes without enrolling.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. A Different World Season 1 Episode 16 - The Show Must Go On
    7.2/10(76 votes)

    S1:E16

    Denise and Whitley both think they're the apple of the leading man's eye in a play about the Garden of Eden.

    Director:Kim Friedman
    Writers:Steven Peterman, Gary Dontzig

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  13. A Different World Season 1 Episode 2 - Pilot
    7.1/10(123 votes)

    S1:E2

    Denise's financial irresponsibility might get her and Jaleesa thrown out of the dorm.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writers:Carmen Finestra, Matt Williams

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  14. A Different World Season 1 Episode 10 - The Gift of the Magi
    7.1/10(84 votes)

    S1:E10

    Whitley's secret Santa surprises her with a visit from her newly separated daddy, who walks in with his youthful girlfriend.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. A Different World Season 1 Episode 18 - Speech Therapy
    7.1/10(77 votes)

    S1:E18

    Whitley hides an illegal humidifier; Jaleesa sweats over her fear of oral reports; Maggie steams over the debt Denise owes her.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. A Different World Season 1 Episode 8 - If Chosen, I May Not Run
    6.9/10(87 votes)

    S1:E8

    In the family tradition of "Combustible" Huxtable, Denise is chosen for Hillman's track team, but after a few practices she starts running out of steam.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Thad Mumford

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  17. A Different World Season 1 Episode 9 - Romancing Mr. Stone
    6.9/10(85 votes)

    S1:E9

    A geology professor has every woman in the class fighting for his attention.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Scott S. Gorden

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  18. A Different World Season 1 Episode 13 - The Prime of Miss Lettie Bostic
    6.9/10(76 votes)

    S1:E13

    Hillman alumna Lettie Bostic fills in as dorm monitor, but her strongly voiced opinions have the girls considering mutiny.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Thad Mumford

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  19. A Different World Season 1 Episode 1 - Reconcilable Differences
    6.7/10(147 votes)

    S1:E1

    During her first few days at Hillman College, Denise Huxtable finds herself at odds with her new roommate, Jaleesa, a 26-year-old freshman with a mysterious past.

    Director:Unknown
    Writers:Thad Mumford, Lissa Levin

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  20. A Different World Season 1 Episode 22 - My Dinner With Theo
    6.4/10(66 votes)

    S1:E22

    Denise strains her brain trying to improve her grades, so she invites Theo up for a weekend of family inspiration.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Scott S. Gorden

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  21. A Different World Season 1 Episode 12 - Advise and Descent
    6.3/10(86 votes)

    S1:E12

    During finals week, Denise's work suffers because she decides to be a peer counselor, and the girls' looks suffer under test stress.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. A Different World Season 1 Episode 21 - Come Back, Little Eggby
    6.3/10(73 votes)

    S1:E21

    A psychology experiment in parenting calls for egg-doption, but when Jaleesa loses Maggie's "eggby," she and Denise scramble to find it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Scott S. Gorden

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"If Only for One Night" is the best rated episode of "A Different World" season 1. It scored 7.8/10 based on 80 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 4/28/1988. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "Rudy and the Snow Queen".