After debuting in September 1990, NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air entertained viewers for six seasons and launched Will Smith into superstardom before concluding in May 1996. Now, Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are producing a reboot of the series titled Bel-Air based on the popular fan film of the same name by Morgan Cooper.
Written and directed by Cooper, Bel-Air debuted on YouTube in 2019 and reinterpreted the original sitcom as a dark and serious drama that brought the story into modern-day life. The mock trailer has since garnered over 5 million views and received the approval of Will Smith, who described the concept as “brilliant.”
Much like the original Fresh Prince series, Bel-Air will follow Will’s adjustment from life in the streets of West Philadelphia to living in the upper-class neighborhood of Bel-Air, Los Angeles. However, Bel-Air will explore the conflicts, emotions, and biases of modern-day America in greater depth than was possible with the sitcom’s 30-minute runtime.
By now, audiences are accustomed to seeing classic sitcoms make a comeback, with a Who’s the Boss sequel series being announced as recently as early August 2020. However, these revivals have typically been continuations of their predecessors as opposed to complete reboots that reimagined the tone of the original version.
Interest in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air doesn’t seem to have waned in the two decades since it went off the air though. So, perhaps even those who are less-than-thrilled to see television frequently returning to old favorites can take comfort in knowing Bel-Air is at least trying to offer something new with the old premise.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is now available on HBO Max.
Source: Deadline
