The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996)

The Banks family, a respectable Californian family, take in a relative - Will Smith, a street-smart teenager from Philadelphia. The idea is to make him respectable, responsible and mature, but Will has got other plans...

Creators:

Andy Borowitz, Susan Stevenson

Stars:

Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro, James Avery

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 13 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Will Smith	...	William 'Will' Smith (148 episodes, 1990-1996)
Alfonso Ribeiro	...	Carlton Banks (146 episodes, 1990-1996)
James Avery	...	Philip Banks (145 episodes, 1990-1996)
Karyn Parsons	...	Hilary Banks (139 episodes, 1990-1996)
Tatyana Ali	...	Ashley Banks (139 episodes, 1990-1996)
Joseph Marcell	...	Geoffrey Butler (133 episodes, 1990-1996)
Janet Hubert	...	Vivian Banks (72 episodes, 1990-1993)
Daphne Reid	...	Vivian Banks (61 episodes, 1993-1996)

Storyline

When Will, an inner-city teenager from Philly is sent by his mother to live with his relatives (the Banks') in Bel-Air, everybody is in for a surprise. It is funny how influence can go both ways...

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Plot Keywords:

teenager | teenage girl | crested blazer | sitcom | cap worn sideways | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

El príncipe del rap

Filming Locations:

251 N. Bristol Ave., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

NBC Productions, Quincy Jones Entertainment, Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min 24 min (148 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The part of Aunt Vivian Banks was portrayed by two different actresses during the series run. 'Janet Hubert-Whitten' portrayed the original Vivian during seasons 1-3, but growing problems between Will Smith, the producers, and Hubert-Whitten caused her to depart in 1994. The producers offered Hubert-Whitten a 12/25 contract for season four, but she declined. Daphne Maxwell Reid replaced her in the role from 1994-1996, seasons 4-6.

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Goofs

The living room changed, although they lived in the same house. After they changed it, the stairs were in the living room, they originally weren't there.

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Quotes

Phillip Banks: No sex before marriage, Will.
Will: Come on, Uncle Phil. This is the 90's.
Phillip Banks: Try a cold shower.
Will: I've been doing that since the 80's. It don't work no more.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are shown as graffiti.

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Connections

Referenced in RuPaul's Drag Race: RuPaullywood or Bust (2013)

User Reviews

THE BEST COMEDY OF ALL TIME!!!!!

I absolutely love this show! I cannot ever recall an episode in which I did not laugh. Will Smith is so hilarious, everything he says always cracks me up. He also has this way of making eye contact with the camera whenever he's done something stupid or did something clever. I love the way Will always picks on Carlton and Uncle Phil. Will Smith, I think he's one of the best megastars in the world today. Vivian (Daphane Maxwell Reid and Janet Hubert Whitten), both portrayed the character excellently I must say. Carlton, what can I say? He always cracks me up. I'll never forget the episode where he and Will were imprisoned and Carlton started freaking out, wow, man, I literally fell down laughing away. Ashley (Tatyana Ali) I love her character. Uncle Phil (James Avery), he's a lawyer turned judge and a father who teaches good moral values to his children. I love his character. There is also Geoffrey. Wow, he is the most sarcastic butler around. He always makes fun of Uncle Phil and boy do I get off with laughter whenever I see him. But the show only had one problem and that was the character Hilary. No offence to Karyn Parsons whom I think is a beautiful and talented actress but the character of Hilary was seriously messed up. Here you have a 21 year old woman still living with her parents and won't go out to look for a job. All she concerned with is the way she looks. I think Hilary was the most annoying person on show. I HATED HILARY. She shouldn't have been like that. Gosh, everytime I had to see her, I would switch the channel until that part was gone. But nevertheless, I still loved the show. I've been watching the reruns since 2000 and I must say, I never get fed up of it. I look forward to it EVERYDAY. I was surprised that it was not included on RANK's Top 25 comedies of all time. This show should have at the top. If anyone does not think this show is funny, then something must be wrong. If I feel depressed and need a good laugh, all I have to do is watch this show and get tonnes of jokes. I wish they would have like the whole 5 or 6 seasons on DVD or VHS so I could go buy it. I give this show two thumbs up. Rating- 10/10, 100% Pure and raw comedy!