Bel-Air– Stands Alone

Source: IMDb

Bel-Air, which is a reboot of the 90s TV show, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air had eyebrows raised when the announcement was made that this would be a dark reboot and not a comedy as the original show was. To everyone’s surprise, this was a great reboot. The characters, the writing and the direction was solid and left the viewer wanting more.

Source: Will Smith Youtube Channel

The plot line is the same as the original show, referring back to the original theme song, Will, played by Jabari Banks, got into an altercation in his hometown of Philadelphia and his mom Vy, played by April Parker Jones, sent Will to live with his Aunt Vivian a.k.a. Aunt Viv played by Cassandra Freeman and Uncle Phil played by Adrian Holmes in Bel Air. Will soon finds that Bel air is vastly different than Philadelphia. The first friend he makes in Bel-Air is Jazz, played by Jordan L Jones, who is taxi driver and record store owner. Will reunites with his cousins Hilary, played CoCo Jones, who is a social media influencer and chef, Carlton, played by Olly Sholotan, who is Will’s age and into Lacrosse, and Ashley, played by Akira Akbar, who is finding who she really is as a person. Will is also introduced to the House Manager Geoffrey played by Jimmy Akingbola who manages all things in and outside of the Banks house.

The series stays true to many of the story lines that were in the original, Carlton and Will starting out opposite ends of the spectrum and eventually becoming good friends; Hilary trying to find her way; and Ashley trying to find her way to fit in the family as she matures. The characters of Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv are a little more fleshed out. We get more of a behind the scenes look at Uncle Phil’s political aspirations and we find that Aunt Viv is a talented painter, so much so, that she was offered her own gallery showing. The biggest storyline was that Will wanting to know more about his father; which was one of the most dramatic moments in the original series; and when Will finally does meet his father, it doesn’t disappoint.

Bel-Air dramatic turn of a comedy classic was so well done. that it will be hard for other reboots to compare. If you haven’t watched Bel Air, you really should. It gives you family drama, romance, and character growth especially with Carlton and Will. The way the finale concludes with the family worried and torn, was one the best season finales I’ve seen in a long time. Finales are supposed to have you wanting more and that is exactly how I feel about Bel Air! This show can stand alone by itself without the comparison to the original. I can’t wait until season 2.

Did you watch Bel-Air? Are you comparing it to the original?