Bel-Air (TV series)
A dramatic reimagining of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Bel-Air is an American drama television series that reimagines the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, based on a fan film by Morgan Cooper. It premiered on Peacock on February 13, 2022, and concluded on December 8, 2025, after four seasons and 38 episodes. The series stars Jabari Banks as Will Smith, alongside Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, and others.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Drama
- Developer
- Morgan Cooper & Malcolm Spellman & TJ Brady & Rasheed Newson
- Based on
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Andy Borowitz & Susan Borowitz; A format
- Benny Medina & Jeff Pollack
- Showrunner
- TJ Brady & Rasheed Newson; Carla Banks Waddles
- Music
- Terrace Martin
- Robert Glasper
- Jacob Yoffee
- Roahn Hylton
- Opening theme
- "Deja Vu", Easy McCoy featuring TYuS
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Cast and characters
Jabari Banks portrays Will Smith, a 16-year-old from West Philadelphia sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel-Air by his mother Vy. Cassandra Freeman plays Vivian Banks, Will's aunt and Vy's sister. Adrian Holmes is Philip Banks, Will's lawyer uncle. Olly Sholotan plays Carlton Banks, the lacrosse-playing middle child of Viv and Phil. Coco Jones portrays Hilary Banks, a social media influencer and chef. Akira Akbar plays Ashley Banks, the 12-year-old youngest child. Simone Joy Jones is Lisa Wilkes, a swim team member and Carlton's ex who becomes a potential love interest for Will. Jordan L. Jones plays Jazz, a taxi driver who owns a record store and has a crush on Hilary. Jimmy Akingbola portrays Geoffrey Thompson, the house manager originally from Jamaica who moved to London as a child. April Parker Jones plays Viola "Vy" Smith, Will's mother. SteVonté Hart appears as Tray Melbert, Will's former best friend in Philadelphia. Tyler Barnhardt plays Connor Satterfield, Carlton's friend until season 1. Joe Holt is Fred Wilkes, Lisa's father and LAPD chief. Charlie Hall plays Tyler Laramy, Will's friend and basketball teammate. Other cast members include Wendy Davis, Jon Beavers, Michael Ealy, Karrueche Tran, Tatyana Ali as Mrs. Hughes, Reno Wilson, Brooklyn McLinn, Jazlyn Martin, Riele Downs, Nicholas Duvernay, Shelley Robertson, Justin Cornwell, Diandra Lyle, Joivan Wade, Vic Mensa, Alycia Pascual-Peña, B.J. Minor, Dulé Hill, Akilah Walker, Lenora Crichlow, and Michael Govan Hackett.
Production
Morgan Cooper uploaded a fan film titled Bel-Air to YouTube on March 10, 2019, which served as a mock trailer for a dramatic reimagining of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Will Smith praised the film and met with Cooper to discuss expanding it into a series. On August 11, 2020, the series was officially announced after over a year of development, with Peacock, Netflix, and HBO Max bidding for rights. Peacock ordered two seasons on September 8, 2020, with Westbrook Inc. and Universal Television producing. Executive producers include Smith, Cooper, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Malcolm Spellman, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, Andy Borowitz, and Susan Borowitz. Anthony Sparks joined as executive producer for season 2. Carla Banks Waddles was promoted to executive producer and showrunner for season 2, replacing TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson. Peacock renewed the series for a third season on March 17, 2023, and for a fourth and final season on December 3, 2024.
Release
Crown & Conquer hosted an online premiere for the series on February 9, 2022. Peacock launched the show on February 13, 2022, dropping its first three episodes. Season two arrived on February 23, 2023. The third season came out on August 15, 2024, with three episodes, then more on August 22, August 29, and September 5. The fourth and final season began on November 24, 2025, with three episodes, followed by two on December 1, and three on December 8.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a 66% approval rating based on 47 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The critics consensus notes a dour tone and uneasy mix of realism but suggests potential for growth. Metacritic assigned a score of 59 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews. The second season holds a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 10 reviews, with an average of 6.7/10, and a Metacritic score of 71, indicating generally favorable reviews. On May 2, 2022, Peacock announced Bel-Air was its most-streamed original series, reaching 8 million accounts.
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