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For years, Cynthia Amos and her English students at Foshay Junior High School were on top of "A Different World." Amos said she and her students at the Los Angeles school would look forward to Friday discussions about the NBC situation comedy, which revolved around life at a fictional African-American college. She could see the impact of the series, not only in the clothes the students wore but also in the way they talked about serious issues presented on the show, such as racism or AIDS.
But the biggest influence that Amos observed was in the way "A Different World" made college seem a viable goal for many minority students.
"Before `A Different World' was on the air," she explained, "the only way a lot of minority kids had knowledge about college was if they had a family member going to one. This show dropped the experience in everyone's lap. It had such a positive influence on so many kids." Amos and other educators who praised the positive portrayal of African-American college life are upset that their "World" is coming to an end. "A Different World" will wrap its sixth and final season at 8 tonight with a one-hour episode titled "When One Door Closes . . . "
"World" is ending differently than its producers anticipated. The series has been off the air since Jan. 28, when NBC withdrew it because of the low ratings it was getting in its Thursday time slot. Although the episode has a finality in its tone, other new episodes leading up to it will not be seen until later in the year at an undetermined date. Some loose ends are left dangling.
"I feel a bit frustrated," said executive producer Susan Fales. "There are story lines that we have brought along during the entire season, and certain relationships that...