The teaser trailer for Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot, Bel-Air, set a dramatic tone for the series, but this could be a mistake if it fails to connect with fans of the original 90's comedy series. Given The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's difficult balancing between occasionally absurdist situational comedy and examination of more serious themes, focusing on the dramatic elements of the narrative isn't necessarily disastrous. However, if the trailer is anything to go by, straying too far from its comedic roots risks losing what made the show great.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ran for 148 episodes over 6 seasons between 1990-1996, cementing Will Smith as a star, and providing the launching pad for his movie career. The premise of the NBC show had Smith playing a street-wise fictionalized version of himself, as he's forced to leave his home in West Philadelphia and move in with his wealthy Aunt and Uncle, Vivian and Phillip Banks, in Bel-Air. The reboot series Bel-Air came to be after a mock trailer (also called Bel-Air) that reimagined the sitcom as a gritty and serious drama went viral. Will Smith was impressed by the fake trailer and collaborated with its creator Morgan Cooper to make the show a reality. After developing the project, Peacock greenlit Bel-Air with a two-season order and is set to debut the series on the streaming service in 2022.
Will Smith is still part of Bel-Air, he’s not the focus for the new series.
While it's important for fiction to be informed by current issues and hold a mirror up to society, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's identity was its light-heartedness and the warmth of the Bank's home and love for one another despite their differences. An overly serious reimaging of the concept risks undermining what made audiences watch the show in the first place. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air did deal with serious storylines such as race, drugs use, and parental abandonment, but they usually landed because the context was so different for most of the show, making the dramatic interludes hit harder as a result. Flipping this ratio by having the majority of the show deal with heavy subject matter could overwhelm the show’s simple concept.
While over 30 years old, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air remains relevant, but at its best, it was 22 minutes of escapism each week. Conversely, Bel-Air seems set to be a more gritty and sobering experience without the levity of its inspiration. But regardless of how Bel-Air turns out, its stark differences with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mean that both series can stand separately and hopefully won’t detract from one another.
