In an interview to promote TV One's marathon of 'A Different World', Jasmine Guy reprises her role as the iconic Whitley Gilbert. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TV One (@tvonetv)In a promotion for TV One, which airs the original A Different World series in syndication, Gilbert briefly reprised her role as Whitley to share how Hillman impacted her life. Love, Whitley Gilbert Wayne.” The cast features a dynamic array of characters similar to the original series, as well as several returning characters from the original series. The original A Different World aired on NBC from 1987 to 1993.