TV Reviews : Teens Face Prejudice in ‘Different Worlds’

Two teens, drawn together after witnessing a murder, find their growing attraction affected by another tragedy: societal prejudices. “Different Worlds: A Story of Interracial Love” is today’s “CBS Schoolbreak Special” (3 p.m., Channels 2 and 8), a sensitive look at the multitude of barriers that prevent human connections between racial and ethnic groups.

Christine (Noelle Parker) and Jordan (Duanne Martin) live in worlds that barely touch: She’s white, he’s black. Those worlds merge when they see a store cashier gunned down and begin talking to each other afterward to mitigate the horror of it.

Feelings of friendship quickly turn into something more. Their relationship is complicated by pressure from friends--”a white chick is trouble,” she’s just looking for “adventure”--and by the ingrained prejudices of both their families and society at large.

Also between them is Christine’s incomprehension of the angry realities of his world. After the shooting, Jordan is held for rude questioning; Christine is allowed to leave. A friend is roughly rousted by police, an everyday occurrence in Jordan’s neighborhood.

Writer Pamela Douglas’ thoughtful script, well-performed, and directed with restraint by Neema Barnette, points up the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that prejudice dehumanizes; it asks its audience to recognize each other as individuals. That plea is underscored when Christine asks Jordan if he wants her to say “black” or “African-American” in referring to him. “I want you to say ‘Jordan,’ ” he replies.