Netflix's sequel series A Different World has dominated social media conversations over the past two days. The series premiered on Netflix Thursday morning at 3 am Eastern, and some people have already watched all 10 episodes! The series is currently ranked number two on Netflix, only behind the Netflix original hit Monster.

But as discussion about the series continues to fester, an interesting trend has emerged. Some fans of the sequel series are comparing A Different World to other college-based shows, namely the Yara Shahidi-led Grown-ish and the Gefferi Maya-led All American: Homecoming. Specifically, a tweet from the user @princebertiv threaded the needle between the three shows via the main characters.

“same person, different font,” the user posted, featuring a picture of all three TV stars from their respective shows.

I'm part of the contingent of TV viewers who believe these shows shouldn't be compared in any capacity, and that Deborah Wayne isn't similar to either Zoey or Simone in any way, while comparing Zoey and Deborah can make sense given their backgrounds. The comparison to Simone is incredibly far-fetched.

Ethics, Accountability & Friendship separate Zoey & Deborah

Deborah clearly isn't a perfect character. She can, at times, be bullheaded, not listen, be selfish, and doesn't fully think out her actions from time to time, and she certainly should be more on top of her schoolwork, given the fact that she is on academic probation. But Deborah shows several redeeming qualities throughout the season that set her apart from Zoey.

Deborah is selfless and is a good friend. We saw her stand up for Rashida at the end of the first episode when she confronted President Davenport about the loss of grant money from several students in need. That ultimately brought attention to Hillman's financial crisis. Without Deborah's voice, students might not have been able to attend Hillman, and the financial mismanagement might have been swept under the rug. That shows not only courage but also her empathy and selflessness, since Rashida's financial situation isn't the same as hers.

She also shows cunning in trying to get Summer Walker to make a surprise appearance at the institution's Friday Fest during homecoming, even though she put herself in a bad situation by volunteering to get Summer Walker and lying about her connection to the popular R&B singer. She ultimately saw it through in her strategy to ultimately draw the attention of Walker, which was not that bad of an idea, though paying $10,000 for the attendees of her dorm to get their lashes done might have been a misfire.

Throughout the first season of A Different World, Deborah has shown far more good character and ethics than Zoey, who, in the first episode of Grown-ish, admitted she left her friend and eventual roommate Ana stranded at an upperclassman party after throwing up on herself from drinking too much. A good friend and a person of high character would have worried less about the reputation with students they don't even know and instead would have made sure that their fellow freshman peer was safe and accounted for. Zoey, instead, left the party and then avoided her as they were about to register for classes; in her bid to avoid her, she missed registration altogether.

Based on the evidence we've seen of Devore's behavior in the first 10 episodes of A Different World, do we think that she would have done the same as Zoey if that had been Rashida or Hazel?

Zoey just wasn't a good person

Throughout the series, Zoey proved to not be that great of a person. Sure, we can say she needed to grow, but I believe every human being on this earth has a level of empathy inside them. I believe that every human being on this earth has a level of basic empathy inside of them. Sometimes people don't act on the empathy in their hearts, and their empathy is set up differently, but we all have a basic level of empathy within us, since that is part of the human experience.

Throughout Zoey's seasons of Grown-ish, she consistently showed disregard for her friends in favor of her own self-interest. It showed up in her relationships with both Luka and Aaron, and her friendships with Sky, Jazz, Noni, and especially Ana. And what has plagued Zoey's legacy in the annals of TV history is that, throughout her seasons on the show, she never grew into a better person. The 18-year-old freshman who left Anna as an upperclassman, partying because she was embarrassed, is the same person who dropped right back into Cal U as a senior, expecting everyone's world to still revolve around her.

Zoey & Deborah's relationship dynamics are different

There aren't even real similarities between Zoey and Deborah's relationship dynamics. At the end of season one, Zoey had three guys she was romantically connected to: Cash, Luka, and Aaron. In the season one finale, she had to decide which guy she would ultimately choose to form a deeper connection with. Deborah finds herself choosing between Ellington and Shaquille; she likes Ellington's maturity, but her friendship and existing relationship with Shaquille keep her at the center of the love triangle.

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While Deborah did make a mistake by constantly fantasizing about Ellington, the emotional intimacy she started to build with him, and the ultimate kiss that made her insecurities fall away, never seemed like she was disregarding Shaquille. If anything, she struggled to fully come to terms with her feelings as the start of her college experience became hectic.

that isn't something that Zoey can say, as her relationships with both Erin and Luca ultimately deteriorated because of a level of selfishness and bullheadedness (while it can be argued that Luca should have been more supportive of Zoey getting her internship with Joey Badass) that isn't something that Zoey can say, as her relationships with both Aaron and Luka ultimately deteriorated because of a level of selfishness and bullheadedness.

While it can be argued that Luka should have been more supportive of Zoey getting her internship with Joey Bada$$, her getting that opportunity was an example of her continued self-preservation. she consistently strung Aaron along until he ultimately decided that he didn't want to find himself tied to her anymore after he felt she was consistently disrespecting him. While Deborah's season one love triangle is messy, it's still way more stable than whatever Zoey had going on.

It's truly hard to compare Zoey and Deborah, since they both come from privilege and can be selfish at times.

Simone Hicks shouldn't even be in this conversation

And more than anything else, Simone shouldn't be in this conversation. Simone's story is vastly different from both Deborah's and Zoey's.  Having a child changes your calculus, as Simone entered Bringston University as a mother to her newborn Shay. Parenthood changes you in unimaginable ways, so Simone's personality and backstory differ completely from Deborah's and Zoey's.

Simone is confident, fiercely loyal to her friends, and doesn't take mess from anyone. She also, like Deborah, is selfless but even has a larger penchant to help people and find middle ground, as we saw her rivalry with Thea ultimately dissipate she also, like Deborah, is selfless but even has a larger penchant to help people and find middle ground, as we saw her rivalry with Thea ultimately dissipate.

While Simone does have her flaws, such as the fact that she can be a little bit mean and curt at certain points, she displayed a level of maturity in her freshman year and throughout the series that we haven't fully seen from Deborah yet, and we absolutely did not see from Zoey. Even the way she approaches her relationship with Damon and Lando is different: she is a bit unsure about what she wants, but she still made sure to be upfront about her intentions.

Please stop comparing these shows and leading women

Comparison is the thief of joy, and the specific comparisons people are making to All American Homecoming are keeping us from enjoying the show for what it is. Comparison is the thief of joy, and the specific comparisons people are making to A Different World are keeping us from celebrating the show for what it is.

Zoey, Simone, and Deborah aren't the same characters with a different font. They are vastly different women who are both engaging in a Black college experience in their own way, and that's perfectly fine.