The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom created by Andy Borowitz and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of same name, a street-smart teenager born and raised in West Philadelphia who is sent to live with his wealthy uncle and aunt in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, where his lifestyle often clashes with that of his upper-class relatives.
Not to be confused with Prince of Bel Air or Fresh Prince.The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
A format
by Benny Medina & Jeff Pollack
The Fresh Prince in association with A Touch of Jazz, Inc.
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" performed by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (instrumental)
United States
English
6
148 (list of episodes)
- Quincy Jones
- David Salzman
- Andy Borowitz
- Susan Borowitz
- Kevin Wendle (season 1)
- Jeff Pollack
- Benny Medina
- Winifred Hervey (seasons 2–3)
- Gary H. Miller (seasons 4–5)
- Cheryl Gard (season 5)
- Will Smith (season 6)
- Werner Walian
- Lisa Rosenthal
- Joel Madison
- Leilani Downer
- Joanne Curley-Kerner
- Joel Markowitz
- Hollywood Center Studios, Hollywood (1990–1991)
- Sunset Gower Studios, Hollywood (1991–1993)
- NBC Studios, Burbank (1993–1996)
21–23 minutes
- The Stuffed Dog Company
- Quincy Jones Entertainment (1990–1993, seasons 1–3)
- Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment (1993–1996, seasons 4–6)
- NBC Productions
- Warner Horizon Unscripted Television (Reunion special)
September 10, 1990 –
May 20, 1996
The series was considered Will Smith's star vehicle into television, and later his film career, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a top hit for NBC, running for 148 episodes over six seasons.[1][2] A reunion special/retrospective reuniting the original cast debuted on HBO Max in November 2020.[3][4] A more dramatic reimagining of the series, titled Bel-Air and based on the fan film of the same name, was given a two-season order for Peacock, and released on February 13, 2022.[5]
Summary[edit]
The theme song and opening sequence set the premise of the show. Will Smith is a street-smart African-American teenager, "born and raised" in West Philadelphia. While playing street basketball, Will accidentally hits a group of gang members with the ball, causing a confrontation that frightens his mother, who sends him to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in the opulent neighborhood of Bel Air, Los Angeles.
Will's working class background ends up clashing in various humorous ways with the upper class world of the Banks family – Will's stern uncle Phil and tough but fair aunt Vivian and their children, Will's cousins: spoiled Hilary, pompous Carlton, impressionable Ashley and baby Nicky (introduced in season 3), as well as their sarcastic butler Geoffrey.
Crossovers and other appearances[edit]
During the fall 1991–1992 season, NBC gained two hit television shows to anchor their Monday night lineup (Blossom aired immediately after The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). To gain popularity between the two shows, Will Smith appeared in the Blossom episode "I'm with the Band" as himself under his rap stage name, The Fresh Prince. That same season, Karyn Parsons appeared in the Blossom episode "Wake Up Little Suzy" as Hilary Banks. Parsons also appeared in the Patti LaBelle sitcom Out All Night as Hilary.
James Avery had a short cameo as "the father from Fresh Prince" on Family Matters, at the end of the episode "Scenes from a Mall". He appears during the credits in a blooper scene where he surprises Reginald VelJohnson on set.[52]
In the House and Fresh Prince were both executive-produced by Winifred Hervey, David Salzman and Quincy Jones. During the second season's first episode, Alfonso Ribeiro and Tatyana Ali appeared as their Fresh Prince characters (Carlton and Ashley Banks) in the crossover episode "Dog Catchers". Later that season, James Avery (Phillip Banks) appeared as a mediator in the episode "Love on a One-Way Street".
Following Fresh Prince's conclusion, Ribeiro joined the principal cast of In the House from its third season as Dr. Maxwell Stanton. In the Season 4 episode "My Pest Friend's Wedding", Avery and Daphne Maxwell Reid (the second Vivian Banks) guest starred as Stanton's parents. Joseph Marcell, Geoffrey Butler on Fresh Prince, appeared as an officiating minister in the same episode.
Syndication[edit]
The series was produced by NBC Productions in association with the Stuffed Dog Company and Quincy Jones Entertainment (later Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment in 1993).
After the show was released to syndication in 1994, the series' distribution rights were picked up by Warner Bros. Television Distribution who continue to hold them to this day and it's parent company Warner Bros currently owning the rights to the series.[53]
Currently, reruns of the series are still aired around the world on ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks' MTV2 and VH1, having previously been aired on its MTV, Nick at Nite, TeenNick, and Centric channels. Other past carriers include WGN America, TBS, TNT, Walt Disney Television's Disney XD, ABC Family and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks' BET and Paramount Network.
The series attained huge popularity in the United Kingdom, where it aired on BBC Two between 1991 and 1996, with reruns airing on the network between 1996 and 2004; it was shown alongside The Simpsons and was later repeated on Trouble, Bravo, Channel One, Living, Sky Living Loves, Viva, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Comedy Central Extra and 5Star. In the United Kingdom, all seasons became available on BBC iPlayer from 1 January 2021, and also currently airs on Sky Comedy and Sky Showcase.
It also aired on Omni Television, YTV, Yes TV and CBC in Canada.
In Italy, the series aired under the name Willy, il principe di Bel-Air (Willy, the Prince of Bel-Air) on Italia 1 from September 20, 1993, until December 3, 1996.
It aired in Australia on the nine network during the allotted years and was popular in Australia. It can now be streamed on Stan where the entire series is on the site.
The series became available to stream on HBO Max and Hulu on May 27, 2020. It streams in Canada on Crave. It began to stream on Paramount+ on March 29.
Cultural impact and legacy[edit]
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's success is considered to be a watershed moment for hip-hop and black television,[67][68] with many publications referring to it as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.[69][70] Professor Andrew Horton stated: "Smith's genre of comedy, popularized on the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, translated well into commercial box-office appeal. The Fresh Prince watered down and capitalized upon the then growing popularity of hip-hop and almost anticipated its dominance on the American scene".[71]
Author Willie Tolliver noted: "What The Fresh Prince did accomplish was to put Smith and his character Will into an environment of affluence and possibility, thus changing the terms of his own Black identity. This social and cultural mobility is central to Smith's racial significance, and this will become evident again and again; he moves the image of the Black male into unaccustomed spaces just as Smith himself was in the process of conquering Hollywood."[72]
Reunion[edit]
Much of the cast virtually reunited over a video call in an episode of Smith's Snapchat reality series Will From Home that premiered in April 2020.[85] A reunion of the surviving original cast, The Fresh Prince Reunion, aired on HBO Max in November 2020. Among other reminisces, Janet Hubert appeared, also appearing around this time in a joint radio interview with Smith where the two reconcile.[86][87] More information and context were offered regarding the situation between Smith and Hubert and her exit when the two met for their conversation. Hubert discussed the turmoil in her personal life, her abusive marriage and that she had not actually been fired by the show. She was offered what she described as a "bad deal" to return for the fourth season and she turned it down. Smith talked about how grappling with his rapidly increasing fame at such a young age led him to make decisions during that time that he now regrets and wishes he had made differently.[88] The reunion show also features a tribute to James Avery, who died in 2013, that was shown to the surviving cast. The tribute brought the entire cast to tears.[89]