Bel-Air (TV series)

Bel-Air is an American drama television series developed by Morgan Cooper, Malcolm Spellman, TJ Brady, and Rasheed Newson. It is a reimagined version of the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and is based on Cooper's short fan film of the same name. It stars Jabari Banks, Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar, Jimmy Akingbola, Jordan L. Jones, and Simone Joy Jones. The series premiered on Peacock on February 13, 2022. The second season was released on February 23, 2023. In March 2023, the series was renewed for a third season which is set to premiere on August 15, 2024.

Premise
The series follows Will Smith's complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. It dives deep into racial tension, culture shock, and the elitist world of the black bourgeoisie.

Main

 * Jabari Banks as Will Smith, a 16-year-old from West Philadelphia who is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel-Air by his mother, Vy
 * Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Will's aunt, wife of Philip and sister of Vy
 * Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey Thompson, the House Manager of the Bankses, originally from Jamaica before moving to London as a child
 * Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, the lacrosse-playing middle child of Viv and Phil and Will's cousin
 * Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, a social media influencer, excellent chef and eldest child of Viv and Phil and Will's cousin
 * Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, the 12-year-old youngest child of Viv and Phil and Will's cousin
 * Simone Joy Jones as Lisa Wilkes, a potential love interest of Will, and Carlton's ex. She is also on the swim team.
 * Jordan L. Jones as Jazz, a taxi driver Will met and bonded with when he arrived at LAX. He also owns a record store and has a crush on Hilary.
 * Adrian Holmes as Philip Banks, Will's lawyer uncle, husband of Viv

Recurring

 * April Parker Jones as Viola "Vy" Smith, Will's mother
 * SteVonté Hart as Tray Melbert, Will's former best friend in Philadelphia
 * Tyler Barnhardt as Connor Satterfield, Carlton's best friend during season 1 but later stopped the friendship due to Connor's behavior
 * Joe Holt as Fred Wilkes, Lisa's father who is a Chief of Police for the LAPD
 * Charlie Hall as Tyler Laramy, Will's friend and basketball teammate at Bel-Air Academy
 * Wendy Davis as Joan
 * Jon Beavers as Kylo
 * Michael Ealy as Reid Broderick

In addition, Aimee Li and Andi Rene Christensen costar as Phanta and Monica (two of Hilary's influencer housemates), with Al-Shabazz Jabateh also costarring as Hudson for the second season.
 * Karrueche Tran as Ivy
 * Tatyana Ali as Mrs. Hughes (season 2), Ashley's English literature teacher at Bel-Air Academy. Ali portrayed "Ashley Banks" in the original series.
 * Reno Wilson as James Lewis (season 2)
 * Brooklyn McLinn as Doc Hightower (season 2)
 * Jazlyn Martin as Jackie (season 2)
 * Riele Downs as Yazmin (season 2)
 * Nicholas Duvernay as Drew (season 2)
 * Shelley Robertson as Ms. Bassin (season 2)
 * Justin Cornwell as Lamarcus Alton (season 2)
 * Diandra Lyle as Erika Baker (season 2)

Special guest stars

 * Daphne Maxwell Reid as Janice, a board member of the Art Council. Reid previously was the second actress to portray Vivian Banks in the original series. Also in the original series, Janice was the name of Vivian's youngest sister.
 * Vernee Watson-Johnson as Helen, another board member of the Art Council. Watson-Johnson previously portrayed Viola 'Vy' Smith in the original series. Also in the original series, Helen was the name of Vivian, Vy and Janice's sister
 * Marlon Wayans as Lou, Will's father who he thought abandoned his mother and the reason why he left he was in prison was ashamed.

Development
On March 10, 2019, Morgan Cooper uploaded Bel-Air to YouTube. The submission was a fan film, written and directed by him, in the form of a mock trailer for an updated and dramatic reimagining of the television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Will Smith, who starred on the original sitcom as a fictionalized version of himself, heavily praised the fan film and expressed his interest in expanding the concept into a reboot, personally meeting with Cooper. On August 11, 2020, the series was officially announced after being in the works for over a year. At the time, Netflix, HBO Max, and Peacock were bidding for the rights to the series. On September 8, 2020, Peacock gave the series a two-season order under the title Bel-Air, with Westbrook Inc. and Universal Television producing. Smith and Cooper executive produce alongside Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Malcolm Spellman, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, Andy Borowitz, and Susan Borowitz. Upon the streaming records announcement, it was reported that Anthony Sparks joined the series as an executive producer for the second season. On October 13, 2022, it was announced that Carla Banks Waddles has been promoted to executive producer and showrunner for the second season, replacing TJ Brady & Rasheed Newson, who were the showrunners for the first season. Banks Waddles was a co-executive producer for the first season. On March 17, 2023, Peacock renewed the series for a third season.

Casting
In August 2021, Smith surprised Jabari Banks with the news that Banks would star as the lead. In September 2021, Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar, Jimmy Akingbola, Jordan L. Jones, and Simone Joy Jones joined the cast as series regulars. In January 2022, Karrueche Tran, Duane Martin, Joe Holt, April Parker Jones, SteVonté Hart, Scottie Thompson, and Charlie Hall in recurring roles. In March 2022, it was reported that Daphne Maxwell Reid and Vernee Watson-Johnson guest starred in episode 9 on March 24. On January 12, 2023, it was announced that Saweetie is set to make a cameo appearance as herself while Brooklyn McLinn, Jazlyn Martin, and Riele Downs were cast in recurring capacities for the second season. A week later, it was reported that Tatyana Ali who played Ashley Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was cast in a recurring role for the second season. On February 21, 2023, Al-Shabazz Jabateh, Nicholas Duvernay, Diandra Lyle, Justin Cornwell, and Reno Wilson joined the cast in recurring capacities for the second season.

Filming
Principal photography was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. On January 7, 2022, it was reported that the series had some positive COVID-19 tests on set, but production was not impacted.

Release
An online premiere for the series was held on February 9, 2022, by Crown & Conquer. The series premiered on Peacock on February 13, 2022, with its first three episodes. The second season premiered on February 23, 2023. The third season is scheduled to be released on August 15, 2024, with three new episodes and the rest debuting on a weekly basis.

Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 66% based 47 critic reviews, with an average rating on 6.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bel-Air replaces its predecessor's high spirits with a dour tone and an uneasy mix of realism, although there are signs that this reimagining can grow into a fresh new spin." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 59 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

The second season has a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 71 based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews.

On May 2, 2022, Peacock announced that Bel-Air is the most-streamed original series on the streaming service, reaching 8 million accounts to date.