Bel-Air is no Fresh Prince

Bel-Air

Bel-Air is a reboot and dramatization of the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and debuted on February13. This series was developed by Rasheed Newson, Malcolm Spellman, Morgan Cooper, and TJ Brady . The series airs on the Peacock streaming service and is based on Cooper's short fan film of the same name.

The main cast of Bel-Air stars Cassandra Freeman, (Vivian Banks) Jabari Banks, (Will Smith) , Adrian Holmes (Uncle Phil), Olly Sholotan, (Carlton Banks), Coco Jones, (Hilary Banks) Simone Joy, (Lisa) Akira Akbar (Ashley Banks) and Jimmy Akingbola (Geoffrey). This team of talented actors could have been utilized in a different program and cast of characters to showcase their skills. In the eyes of many they will never measure up to the original cast from The Fresh Prince.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

There is an old saying that if something is not broken there is no need to fix it. The television sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air warmed hearts and tickled our funny bone during the 1990s. Television viewers fell in love with the characters and today they remain near and dear to many hearts. Uncle Phil Banks ( James Avery) Aunt Vivian Banks (Janet Hubor/Daphne Maxwell Reid) Will Smith (Will SMith) Carlton Banks (Alfonso Ribero) , Ashley Banks (Tatiana Ali), Hilary Banks (Karen Parsons), and Geoffrey Butler (Joseph Marcell)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a sitcom that tackled serious subjects and entertained us at the same time. The new show has more explicit language and will probably appeal to those who do not like anything G or PG-rated. There seems today to be a notion that everything that was once held sacred needs updating and an R rating but the MeTV network is evidence that not everyone feels the same way. The original show can still be seen on retro networks and streaming services.

Different opinions

There are fans of the original NBC series that are taking offense that the new program uses the same names of the characters from the show that starred Will Smith. The consensus is that there was no need to update The Fresh Prince of Bell-Air and make it graphic. There are naturally viewers who love the new show and may think the old one was too innocent.

A review of the first three episodes in Vulture by Angelica Jade Bastien basically says new series falls short, lacks the chemistry of the original and is too gritty. Bastien says Bel-Air Is a Frustrating Reminder That Representation Isn’t Enough and I agree. Those who are in the power positions should think long and hard and not just throw together a black cast and get a show on the air.

It is the norm today for those in the entertainment business to sample or remake what worked in the past with a twist. This can be seen by the many music artists who borrow tunes and or lyrics from songs of decades gone by. Remaking television series and movies has been the norm for quite some time and a new generation not raised on the Will Smith series will not understand what all the fuss is about.

Smith actually gave his blessing to this project and worked with those who got Bel-Air on streaming television. According to TV Guide this series should have stopped after four minutes and that's pretty harsh. TV Guide also had this to say:

"In streaming TV's ever-expanding universe that fills its vacuum with unnecessary reboots, revivals, and reimaginations, all you need is the blessing of an A-lister and an idea that got a thousand retweets".

It seems there was a bidding war and Peacock won and ordered 2 seasons of Bel-Air. Time will tell whether or not this remake cuts the mustard.