Discover the most popular TV show the year you were born

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – MARCH 04: Lisa Bonet attends the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 4, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

1988: A Different World

Here we have yet another spin-off that was wildly successful! A Different World was a comedy that aired for six seasons from 1987 to 1993 on NBC. It was a spin-off of the classic sitcom The Cosby Show starring Bill Cosby. The spin-off followed Denise Huxtable as she heads off to Hillman College, a (fictional) college in Virginia that was historically black. After Lisa Bonet left the show following the first season, it focused on other students at the school instead.

The show started off strong right out of the gate, landing in the second spot in the ratings. Over the seasons, the show dealt with some pretty serious issues. In season two, they tackled date rape, when Dwayne overhears a baseball star talk about something he did with another woman. The same baseball player attempts to rape Freddie (despite being warned about him), but is saved by Dwayne. Other episodes tackled the Persian Gulf War, sexism, and even racism and slavery.

For almost it’s entire six season run, All In The Family stayed in the top 5 shows in the US, but started slipping in the show’s fifth season. Even though it was a huge hit with viewers, it didn’t take home many awards. But awards aren’t as important as a show having a real effect on people, and many young African-American people have said that the show had a huge impact on them. Isn’t that the real prize?