Show notes
"It was the first time that the idea of an HBCU was even a thought to me of a thing I could do... it was so eye-opening to me that there was this whole other part of life in Black culture that I just didn't know anything about... we're sending the message that all of our blackness is good." - Niceole Levy
REWIND EPISODE
The 80s TV Ladies are almost done moving! A few more bonus episodes to rerun, and we’ll be settled in and bringing you brand new episodes! We loved rewatching A Different World and learning about the show from our incredible guests. We think this interview with TV writer/producer Niceole Levy is so fun. We hope you enjoy it, too!
Sharon and Susan begin an all-new series of episodes looking at the groundbreaking 80s sitcom A Different World (1987-1993). This Cosby Show spin-off starred Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Charnele Brown, Dawn Lewis and Marissa Tomei. It explored the lives of students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU, and addressed issues such as race, sexual assault, HIV/AIDS and equal rights while still keeping the laughs coming. In 1988, Lisa Bonet and Marissa Tomei left the show and a new showrunner was brought on -- the legendary actress, producer, director and choreographer Debbie Allen.
To help kick off this in-depth look at A Different World, we welcome A Different World fan and amazing “2020s TV Lady” -- writer, producer, and author Niceole Levy. Niceole’s numerous TV writing/producing credits include Cloak and Dagger, Shades of Blue, SWAT, The Recruit and Found. She is the co-writer, along with George Nolfi, of the 2020 feature film The Banker. She has also written a book for aspiring TV writers called "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide."
THE CONVERSATION
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on Netflix and Philo.
Find out more about Niceole Levy at niceolelevy.com.
Read her article “What I Learned Watching 1,000 Television Shows” here.
Buy Niceole Levy’s book "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide" at
REWIND EPISODE
The 80s TV Ladies are almost done moving! A few more bonus episodes to rerun, and we’ll be settled in and bringing you brand new episodes! We loved rewatching A Different World and learning about the show from our incredible guests. We think this interview with TV writer/producer Niceole Levy is so fun. We hope you enjoy it, too!
Sharon and Susan begin an all-new series of episodes looking at the groundbreaking 80s sitcom A Different World (1987-1993). This Cosby Show spin-off starred Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Charnele Brown, Dawn Lewis and Marissa Tomei. It explored the lives of students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU, and addressed issues such as race, sexual assault, HIV/AIDS and equal rights while still keeping the laughs coming. In 1988, Lisa Bonet and Marissa Tomei left the show and a new showrunner was brought on -- the legendary actress, producer, director and choreographer Debbie Allen.
To help kick off this in-depth look at A Different World, we welcome A Different World fan and amazing “2020s TV Lady” -- writer, producer, and author Niceole Levy. Niceole’s numerous TV writing/producing credits include Cloak and Dagger, Shades of Blue, SWAT, The Recruit and Found. She is the co-writer, along with George Nolfi, of the 2020 feature film The Banker. She has also written a book for aspiring TV writers called "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide."
THE CONVERSATION
- 80s TV made marriage look easy and fun -- cuz the couples were usually crime-solving millionaires!
- How watching every syndicated show on TV -- Perry Mason, I Love Lucy, Marcus Welby, Dick Van Dyke Show, Ironside -- prepares you for a life of TV writing.
- Everything retro is new again: Getting that first gig -- with Blair Underwood -- on the 2013 re-boot of Ironside!
- Niceole’s advice for getting into TV and film -- DON’T GO TO FILM SCHOOL!
- For Niceole -- and so many others -- A Different World’s Hillman College was her first exposure to an HBCU.
- RUN THE NUMBERS: 20 of the 47 writers on ADW were women!
- SEASON 2 RE-SET: How the addition of show-runner Debbie Allen re-ignited the series with a new sense of excitement and vitality.
- A DIFFERENT LOOK -- How A Different World achieved a bigger, more expansive look than other sitcoms of the time.
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on Netflix and Philo.
Find out more about Niceole Levy at niceolelevy.com.
Read her article “What I Learned Watching 1,000 Television Shows” here.
Buy Niceole Levy’s book "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide" at
