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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.[1] The second season was released on February 23, 2023.[2] In March 2023, the series was renewed for a third season which is set to premiere on August 15, 2024.[3][4]

Premise

The series follows Will Smith's complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.[5] It dives deep into racial tension, culture shock, and the elitist world of the black bourgeoisie.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

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.[7]

Special guest stars

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2022)

Season 2 (2023)

Production

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.[10][11] 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.[12][13] 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.[14] 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.[15] Upon the streaming records announcement, it was reported that Anthony Sparks joined the series as an executive producer for the second season.[16] 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.[17] On March 17, 2023, Peacock renewed the series for a third season.[3]

Casting

In August 2021, Smith surprised Jabari Banks with the news that Banks would star as the lead.[18][19] 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.[20] In January 2022, Karrueche Tran, Duane Martin, Joe Holt, April Parker Jones, SteVonté Hart, Scottie Thompson, and Charlie Hall in recurring roles.[21] In March 2022, it was reported that Daphne Maxwell Reid and Vernee Watson-Johnson guest starred in episode 9 on March 24.[9] 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.[8] 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.[6] 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.[7]

Filming

Principal photography was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.[20] On January 7, 2022, it was reported that the series had some positive COVID-19 tests on set, but production was not impacted.[22]

Release

An online premiere for the series was held on February 9, 2022, by Crown & Conquer.[23] The series premiered on Peacock on February 13, 2022, with its first three episodes.[1][24] The second season premiered on February 23, 2023.[2] The third season is scheduled to be released on August 15, 2024, with three new episodes and the rest debuting on a weekly basis.[4]

Reception

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."[25] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 59 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[26]

The second season has a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[27] On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 71 based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews.[28]

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.[16]

Accolades

Notes

  1. ^ Tatyana Ali is credited as "Special Guest Star" but is a recurring cast member.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Petski, Denise (December 16, 2021). "'Bel-Air': Peacock's 'Fresh Prince' Drama Reboot Sets Super Bowl Sunday Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Hatchett, Keisha (November 17, 2022). "Bel-Air Sets Season 2 Release Date — See New Photos, Watch Teaser". TVLine. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Campione, Katie (March 17, 2023). "'Bel-Air' Renewed For Season 3 At Peacock". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Hatchett, Keisha (May 20, 2024). "Bel-Air Season 3 Gets Summer Release Date at Peacock — See New Photos". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  5. ^ White, Peter (November 23, 2021). "'Bel-Air': Peacock Rolls Out First Teaser For 'Fresh Prince' Drama Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (January 19, 2023). "'Bel-Air': Tatyana Ali From 'Fresh Prince Of Bel Air' To Recur On Peacock Reboot This Season; Watch Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Petski, Denise (February 21, 2023). "'Bel-Air' Adds Five To Season 2 Cast Of Peacock Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Otterson, Joe (January 12, 2023). "Saweetie to Appear in 'Bel-Air' Season 2 at Peacock, Three New Recurring Cast Members Added (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Choe, Brandon (March 7, 2022). "'Fresh Prince' Alums Daphne Maxwell Reid & Vernee Watson-Johnson To Guest Star On Peacock's 'Bel-Air'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Greene, Andy (March 13, 2019). "Hilarious 'Bel Air' Trailer Reimagines 'The Fresh Prince' as a Dramatic Movie". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  11. ^ Kirkland, Justin (March 14, 2019). "The Fresh Prince Gets a Dramatic Reimagining in the Trailer for Bel-Air". Esquire. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  12. ^ Smith, Will (April 26, 2019). "How I Really Feel About That BEL-AIR Trailer". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  13. ^ Parker, Ryan (April 26, 2019). "Will Smith Calls Dramatic Fan-Made 'Bel-Air' Trailer "Brilliant"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  14. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (August 11, 2020). "'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' Drama Reboot in the Works". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 8, 2020). "'Bel-Air': Peacock Gives 2-Season Order To 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air' Drama Reboot From Morgan Cooper & Westbrook Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (May 2, 2022). "'Bel-Air' Sets Peacock Streaming Records, Adds Anthony Sparks As EP For Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 13, 2022). "'Bel-Air' Changes Showrunners As Carla Banks Waddles Replaces TJ Brady & Rasheed Newson For Season 2 Of Peacock Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  18. ^ Vivinetto, Gina (August 31, 2021). "Will Smith surprises star of 'Fresh Prince' reboot with the news he got the role". Today. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  19. ^ Petski, Denise (September 14, 2021). "'Bel-Air': Newcomer Jabari Banks To Star As Will In Peacock's 'Fresh Prince' Drama Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (September 14, 2021). "'Bel-Air': Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan & Jordan L. Jones Among 8 Cast In Peacock's 'Fresh Prince' Drama Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  21. ^ Petski, Denise (January 20, 2022). "'Bel-Air': Karrueche Tran, Duane Martin & Joe Holt Among 7 Cast In Peacock's 'Fresh Prince' Drama Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  22. ^ White, Peter (January 7, 2022). "'Bel-Air' Records Dozens Of Positive Covid Tests; Production Not Impacted". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  23. ^ Schneider, Michael (February 1, 2022). "Awards HQ Feb. 1: Bel-Air Exclusive, Succession Dominates DGA Nominations, Cobra Kai and More at the PGAs". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  24. ^ "Shows A-Z – Bel-Air on Peacock". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  25. ^ "Bel-Air: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  26. ^ "Bel-Air: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  27. ^ "Bel-Air: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  28. ^ "Bel-Air: Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  29. ^ "Hollywood Creative Alliance Reveals the Nominees for the 2023 HCA TV Awards Streaming Edition" (Press release). Hollywood Creative Alliance. July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  30. ^ Carras, Christi (June 1, 2022). "Lil Nas X calls out 2022 BET Awards snub: 'An outstanding zero nominations again'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  31. ^ Complex, Valerie (February 17, 2022). "The Black Reel Awards Announces Partnership With Idobi Network And Unveils New Awards Statuette". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  32. ^ Complex, Valerie (June 15, 2023). "Black Reel 7th Annual Television Awards featuring Gender Neutral Categories Announces Nominations; 'The Best Man: Final Chapters' leads with 18 noms". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  33. ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 12, 2023). "Abbott Elementary, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Woman King Dominate NAACP Image Award Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  34. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 25, 2024). "Colman Domingo, Keke Palmer, Ayo Edebiri, Victoria Monét Lead NAACP Image Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 26, 2024.

External links