The first trailer for Peacock’sBel-Airhas dropped online, and it promises a much darker tone for the Fresh Prince. The new series is a revival of the beloved ’90s sitcomThe Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air,which ran for six seasons on NBC and helped launch actor Will Smith’s film and television career.
The newBel-Airtrailer opens with a familiar scenario, a young Will Smith (now played by Jerry Madison) arrives at the Bel-Air mansion and reunites with his distant family. We then get a roll call of the entire Banks family, including Will’s uncle and father-figure Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes). ThePeacocktrailer even recounts the events thatfans of theFresh Princeknow all too well: After getting into a fight during a basketball game, Will’s mother sends him to live with his affluent Aunt and Uncle in Bel-Air. However, it looks like Will’s past is catching up to him as he struggles to adapt to his new affluent surroundings.
RELATED:Will Smith Reveals His Dad’s Reaction To Independence Day’s Success
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Airis easily one of the most beloved sitcoms of the ’90s. It’s difficult to find anyone who grew up in the ’90s who can’t sing along to the theme song. On top of launchingSmith’s acting career, the series was known for being able to balance its comedic tone with serious issues such as racial inequality and police harassment. While it was able to deal with these subjects effectively, the series still followed the three-camera sitcom approach, featuring a live studio audience.
WhileBel-Airwill largely stick to the story told in the original sitcom, it’s clearly taking a very new approach. Rather than the traditional sitcom approach used by its predecessor,Bel-Airlooks to have more in common with a prestigious drama on a network like HBO or Showtime. This has already caused some controversy amongst fans of the sitcom. Last month,a shortBel-Airteaserdebuted and featured a soulful, spoken-word rendition of the sitcom’s original theme song. It was quickly roasted online, with some fans likening it to an SNL parody.
Regardless of how it’s received,Bel-Airis certainly taking a unique approach to its source material. In recent years there have been several revivals of beloved ’90s sitcoms, includingWill and GraceandRosanne. While both of these revivals functioned more as continuations of the original shows, some networks have seen success in airing reunion specials. Recently, HBO Max featured two highly-anticipated reunion specials forFriendsandThe Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.Both featured the original cast members reuniting and discussing their experiences on their respective sitcoms. TheFresh Prince of Bel-Airspecialeven featured a highly publicized reunion between Smith and original Aunt Viv actress Janet Hubert decades after their infamous falling out.
While most networks seem happy to tap into audience nostalgia,Bel-Airlooks to be trying something new. Rather than a continuation of the series, Peacock is producing a brand new adaptation of the story. Whether this will work or not remains to be seen, but at the very least, it’s a bold move for the platform.
