The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was first aired in 1990 and tells the story of a young Will Smith who is forced to move in with his aunt and uncle and their three children. The new series decided to stray away from the laughs and lean more into following Will as he grapples with adapting to his rarefied, upper-class environment. The highs and lows of Will Smith's journey throughout the ostentatiously wealthy community are chronicled by the new cast in the re-imaging of the sitcom.
The new show gives its characters more growth, which was not possible with the original show, particularly with Hilary, Carlton, and Aunt Vivian.
A short film by Morgan Cooper, the creator, writer, and director of the sitcom, caused a social media uproar and caught the attention of Will Smith. In the first episode of the series, we see Will get involved in a brawl and leave his home. After a confrontation with some gang members goes awry, the street-smart teenager is forced to flee from West Philly to LA at the request of his mother.
The show always ended with a lighthearted family message, despite the serious storylines of Will and Carlton facing police brutality, Will's reunion with his father, and Carlton's gun possession.
Bel-air expanded from a 20-minute comedy to a full-on hour-long drama. I think people will take away the real-life experiences that are infused into this re-imagining.
His goal is to continue the conversation that the original helped to start, no Black experience is the same. People will be able to feel authenticity through this show and we will be exploring the beauty of the Black experience. The dark side of the dancing, khaki, and polo-clad rich kid we all remember can be seen in the new dramatized version. Cooper's Bel-Air offers fans a different point of view and is more intentional about highlighting present-day social issues such as racism, classism, and privilege.
While Fresh Prince of Bel-Air talked about Aunt Vivian's feelings of unfulfillment with her career, she put it aside for the most part.
Hilary, played by Coco Jones, used to be a vain, air-headed older sister.
The idea of a real-life scenario of Will's journey was what Cooper and Newsome wanted to focus on. In our show, we see different perspectives of the Black experience to create a more complete picture of our existence. Carlton is a ruthless villain who will do anything to take down his cousin. Cooper said that he saw his fair share of fights on the ball court.
Carlton Banks, played by Olly Sholotan, was one of the most significant character arcs to change. The up-to-date version looks at how Aunt Viv handles her ambivalence about giving up her career. The story about the boy from West Philly is a darker one. You might remember Peacock's Bel-Air as a family-friendly American sitcom. Taking these stories and making them personal and creating them from the heart is what makes it all happen.