As a kid, one of my favorite Saturday morning activities was watching reruns of one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I was captivated by Will’s dopey charm, Carlton’s dance moves, and Ashley’s iconic outfits. One of my favorite aspects of the show was that it wasn’t afraid to reach out of the comedy realm into real-life, hard to deal with topics, such as racial profiling, body image, and, most famously, parental neglect. Lucky for us fans, the new Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot, Bel Air will focus more on these hard to deal with topics.
According to The Philly Voice, Bel-Air is based on a viral trailer by Morgan Cooper that reimagines, “…the sitcom as a dark modern drama”, serving to, “retell Smith’s journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated neighborhood of Bel-Air in California”. On top of this genre switch, the show will feature a whole new cast to reprise the original characters including up and coming actor Jabari Banks as the Fresh Prince himself.
To some fans a reboot may seem unecessary given the popularity of the original, but Will Smith, who is serving as Executive Producer of the show, feels that this will give insight into his personal journey as an artist and a deeper look into the layers of the chracters we have grown to love. When asked about his reasoning for a reboot Smith explained that, “That’s what really clicked in my mind when I saw the trailer that Morgan did. The concepts in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reimagined as a drama. A real kid from West Philadelphia, modern day. A Black family in Bel Air…The Carlton character, modern day: a Black, young republican. What’s the Hilary character in a world of Instagram and social media? What does that become? Uncle Phil, a Black lawyer turned judge. Aunt Viv, a professional woman that decided to raise her family and now that her kids are older making her way back. All of that stuff is so rich.”
While the original will always hold a special place in my heart, I am excited to see all this reboot has to offer. As an avid fan, I am thrilled to witness a new side of the show and how all of the characters will fit into the ever-changing world we live in today.