A Different World | Showrunner, Writer Susan Fales-Hill

80s TV Ladies

“You can be anything you want in this world, darling. But if you become an actress or a nun, I’ll kill myself.” -- legendary actress Josephine Premice to her daughter, writer/producer Susan Fales-Hill.
Susan and Sharon welcome writer and showrunner Susan Fales-Hill as they continue their look back at the classic 80’s comedy series A Different World. Ms. Fales-Hill’s writing career began on The Cosby Show and continued on A Different World where she rose from story editor all the way to executive producer during the course of the show’s seven-year run. Content Warning: Sexual Assault/Child Sexual Abuse. At approx. 53:00 - 58:00 short discussion of date rape and child sexual assault.
Susan Fales-Hill is currently writer/executive producer on HBO’s Sex And The City sequel series And Just Like That. She is also the author of four books including her memoir "Always Wear Joy." Susan shares stories of growing up bi-racial in a show biz legacy family, how comedy comes from pain, and the help (and hinderances) she got from men, women and people of color along the way…
THE CONVERSATION

• Being Whitley Gilbert’s alter ego: “She said a lot of the things I wanted to say -- but was too polite!"
• FINDING YOUR VOICE: Susan reflects on learning how to speak up in a writer’s room even though she was the youngest, newest writer -- and a woman.
• GO WEST YOUNG WOMAN: The “Big Move” from The Cosby Show in New York to A Different World in Los Angeles.
• THE IMPORTANCE OF A NEW POT: Sometimes you have to "re-plant" yourself to grow.
• HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARISA? The challenge of featuring a white character attending an HBCU.
• JUST A TIME SLOT SUCCESS? Some people grumbled that ADW only succeeded because it followed the massive hit The Cosby Show.
• How Debbie Allen insisted the show be topical -- and the surprise when Bill Cosby agreed.
• The story of how Susan personally got Diahann Carroll to be on the show.
• Being told by her agents after running a Top Ten show: “We can’t get you on a white show.”
• On the joy of casting your own mom -- singer, dancer, actress Josephine Premice.
• Susan reflects on which “issue” episodes worked -- and which ones maybe missed the mark (looking at you, Los Angeles Uprising…)
• The network was adamantly opposed to the “Los Angeles Uprising” episodes -- and some believe it signed the shows death warrant.

So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Susan -- as they talk pig noses, possible spin-offs, Billy Dee Williams, The Amistad, “Benevolent Karens”, Jennifer Lewis… and the danger of saying “shut up” to your mom!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.
Watch the classic 2-part Thanksgiving Episode “Faith, Hope & Charity” (S6; EP 9 & 10) -- with Diahann Carroll AND Patti LaBelle! on HBO Max.
Get Susan Fales-Hill’s books and find out about all her projects at SusanFales-Hill.com.
Watch Susan Fales-Hill “In Praise of Complexity” at the Met Museum "Met Speaks".
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