Before landing the role of Carlton on The Fresh Prince, Alfonso Ribeiro had done a guest spot in a Season 3 episode of A Different World.
Obviously, he chose the bigger of the two, as The Fresh Prince has continued to run in syndication and streaming since ending its original run.
It would seem Ribeiro believed that choosing the Will Smith-led show (an unproven series) would still leave him with a viable option in A Different World, should the former sitcom not work out.
His character, Zach Duncan, was expected to join as a series regular in the fourth season, but the actor was forced to choose between the two influential NBC sitcoms.