A more serious, gritty spin on one of the best ’90s TV shows – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – is coming to Peacock on February 13, with a very different take on familiar characters such as Will, Uncle Phil, Carlton and Hilary.
In the new trailer, we see Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola) welcoming Will (Jabari Banks) to his Aunt and Uncle’s enormous mansion in Bel-Air and Aunt Viv (Cassandra Freeman) welcoming him too. It has been ten years since Will last saw his extended family.
Will also meets Hilary (Coco Jones), who says; “let’s go find you something fit for a prince.” A now freshly suited-and-booted Will then meets an austere Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes). He also meets young Ashley (Akira Akbar) and Carlton (Olly Sholotan), who says he’s been “thriving.” It seems as though Carlton does not take too kindly to Will’s arrival.
Carlton shows Will around his upscale private school, where he makes some enemies pretty quickly. Aunt Viv tells him to “be the Will who charmed West Philly with his talent and swag” and Will reverses his school blazer, in a nod to the original sitcom.
The tone certainly feels extremely different to the beloved hit sitcom, starring Will Smith (who is an executive producer on this new version). It’s hard to imagine such different takes on characters we know and love, such as James Avery’s Uncle Phil, who shared many emotional scenes with Will.
And new Carlton does not look like he’s about to bust out any moves to Tom Jones’ It’s Not Unusual, which was Alfonso Ribeiro’s signature. There is a character called Jazz in this new version, but he doesn’t appear to be in the trailer. It’s doubtful that we’ll see him getting repeatedly kicked out of the Banks’ home, as happened to DJ Jazzy Jeff.
You can check out the new trailer below;
Of course, Peacock’s Bel-Air is aimed at a younger audience, who did not grow up in the ’90s, so don’t have the same nostalgia for The Fresh Prince. But if you are looking for that ’90s hit, check out our guide to the best ’90s movies.