A Different World: Catching up with T.J. Evans

A Different World tackles black children and adoption

The third episode of season 4 of the NBC sitcom A Different World aired on October 4, 1990. The title was Blues for Nobody's Child and revolved around an eight-year-old orphan named Alex Webb ( T.J. Evans). Alex was distraught because most prospective parents only desired infants. He watched as other children were adopted and he believed that no one wanted him.

In the midst of the humor of college life, A Different World was also known for tackling difficult subjects such as date rape, homelessness, being deaf, apartheid, HIV, racism, and interracial dating. Highlighting the difficulties of adoption for older children of color was par for the course.

Alex wreaks havoc at Hillman College

The emphasis of this particular episode is about how older African American orphaned children are least likely to be adopted and will age out in the system. Alex was dressed in a church suit while he waited to be chosen during an adoption fair. Each time he met someone new he recited an obviously rehearsed speech.

He would state his name and age and give his selling points like being able to fish and swim. When yet again he was not chosen for adoption he became so distraught that he ran away and found Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer) and begged her not to return him to the orphanage.

There are some hilarious scenes as Whitley Gilbert, ( Jasmine Guy) Dwayne Wayne ( Kadeem Hardison) Ron Johnson Darryl Bell) and Freddie have the boy running in and out of apartments and climbing through windows trying to evade Jaleesa Vincent ( Dawn Lewis). They know she will alert Walter Oaks (Sinbad) who will return Alex to the orphanage.

Freddie makes the plight of Alex and the statistics on black orphans known, and four male employees of Hillman College decided to apply to adopt the boy. Coach and dorm director Walter, who met the child when Alex became a member of his Operation Outreach Youth Center and math teacher/Vietnam War veteran Colonel Bradford Taylor ( Glen Turman) were turned down presumably because they were single.

Vernon Gaines (Lou Meyers) the owner of the campus eating establishment the Pit believes he was rejected for adopting Alex because of his age and Professor Howard Randolph (Roger Guenveur Smith) who was teaching a short-term African American History class at Hillman announced that he and his wife applied to Adopt Alex.

The Fate of Alex remains unknown

Professor Randolph announced his desire to adopt Alex while at the Pit where the boy snatched Mr. Gaines toupee and ran as the older man chased him. It is assumed that Professor Randolph did adopt him but there was no follow-up episode to validate this point. When the children from Operation Outreach were later shown Alex was not with them. Perhaps the Randolph's did adopt hlm and when the professor's tenure was up they went back to wherever Howard Randolph came from.

TJ Evans prior to and post A Different World

Prior to his stint on A Different World Evans had roles in the television series Doogie Houser, Matlock and LA Law in 1989, Nasty Boy, and The Bakery came in 1990 the same year he portrayed Alex. The young actor had roles in Radio Flyer (1992), 704 Hauser and Across the Moon (1994) Chicago Hope (1995), the film A Day in the Life of Mia (1997) and Big Ball'n (2007). He also appeared in the episode Knowing Us in the TV miniseries The Show with the Master.s Voice in 2022.

Currently, there is no additional information online regarding the actor TJ Evans not even what his initials stand for.