A Different World trivia: NBC cut an important exchange between Tupac Shakur's character and Dorian

Tupac and Jad Pinkett Smith had history

Tupac Shakur appeared on episode six of season twenty-one of the NBC sitcom A Different World. In June of 1993, Shakur appeared in "Homey Don't You Know Me." He portrayed Piccolo, who had been Lena James's (Jada Pinkett Smith) boyfriend when she was in Baltimore. Ironically, Pinckett-Smith and Shakur were good friends growing up but did not date.

They attended the Baltimore School of the Arts High School together. Later, after he was shot, Tupac recuperated at the home of Jasmine Guy, who played Whitley Gilbert Wayne on ADW, and Jada, along with his family, visited.

Piccolo is a troublemaker

In the ADW episode, Piccolo unexpectedly appeared at Hilman College with Champ (Sean Baker) and Yolanda (Monica Calhoon), who were scheduled to visit their "homey." "Pic" wanted to win Lena back, and he made fun of her new man Dorian Haywood (Bumper Robinson), calling him "choir boy," "that son of a preacher," and Richie Cunningham.

Yolanda teased Lena by saying she knew Dorian was not hitting it like Piccolo was, which caused tension. A fight broke out at the club after Piccolo commented Dorian was not "hitting it" and not doing the right thing by Lena. Mr. Haywood previously told Lena that he was a Christian and waiting until his wedding night to give himself to his wife as a gift. He told Terrell Walker (Patrick Malone) that he was a Christian and not "knocking boots" before marriage.

A crucial scene has been missing

For thirty years, I felt that this episode was missing something because there was no scene where Dorian discussed his sex life with Piccolo. Their exchange at the club implied that there had been a conversation the audience was not privy to.

Thanks to Netflix's commercial-free streaming, I found out today that there was footage from this episode that had not previously aired during the original ADW run or in reruns on network television. When I saw a missing sequence in the events leading up to the fight, I finally understood the context of the animosity between Tupac and Robinson's characters.

Full episodes are available on commercial-free streaming

I noticed when watching The Andy Griffith Show on Paramount that episodes have ending scenes that were cut during the original run on CBS and reruns on network television. This was most likely to make room for commercials during the thirty-minute time slot.

With A Different World, there are opening sequences on Netflix in practically every episode that were not shown on network TV. Today, I realized that a scene from the middle of the episode "Homey Don't You Know Me" had been cut.

The missing events

Piccolo and Champ are in Dorian and Terrell's dorm room when Tupac's character talks about knowing every inch of Lena's body. He makes a few other comments to get under Dorian's skin and to find out if he and Ms. James are intimate. The "choir boy" responds that Lena is a lady, and Piccolo laughs at the realization that the two are not hitting the sheets. This explains the exchange between the two at the club, leading to a fight.

This pivotal scene gave context to the verbal exchange, leading Dorian to hit Pic. I wonder why it was left out in 1993 rather than some other part of the episode. Also, just before Dorian punches him, Piccolo says Lena told him that her "boyfriend" was not doing the right thing, but this was never shown. It also seems out of character for Ms. James, who was defensive of her relationship with Mr. Haywood.

If you have not viewed the missing scene for this episode of A Different World, you can view it on Netflix (without ads). On Boomerang and other networks where there are commercials you will not see the exchange in the men's dorm room.