"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1990) TV series 1990-1996

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Creators:

Andy Borowitz
Susan Borowitz
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

10 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Insult | Wealth | California | Teen | Mansion

Awards:

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

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 20	9:00 AM	TBS	Stop Will! In the Name of Love	#4.18
Mon. July 20	9:30 AM	TBS	You'd Better Shop Around	#4.19

Cast

Will Smith	...	William 'Will' Smith / ... (147 episodes, 1990-1996)
Alfonso Ribeiro	...	Carlton Banks / ... (144 episodes, 1990-1996)
James Avery	...	Philip Banks / ... (142 episodes, 1990-1996)
Karyn Parsons	...	Hilary Banks / ... (136 episodes, 1990-1996)
Tatyana Ali	...	Ashley Banks / ... (134 episodes, 1990-1996)
Joseph Marcell	...	Geoffrey / ... (125 episodes, 1990-1996)
Janet Hubert	...	Vivian Banks / ... (70 episodes, 1990-1993)

(more)

Series Directed by
Shelley Jensen		(71 episodes, 1992-1996)
Jeffrey Melman		(20 episodes, 1990-1991)
Ellen Falcon		(18 episodes, 1991-1992)
Chuck Vinson		(4 episodes, 1992-1995)
Rita Rogers		(3 episodes, 1990-1992)
Maynard C. Virgil I		(3 episodes, 1993-1995)
Madeline Cripe		(3 episodes, 1995-1996)
Debbie Allen		(2 episodes, 1990)
Rae Kraus		(2 episodes, 1991-1992)
Werner Walian		(2 episodes, 1993-1996)

Series Writing credits
Andy Borowitz		(148 episodes, 1990-1996)
Susan Borowitz		(65 episodes, 1990-1995)
Benny Medina		(64 episodes, 1990-1995)
Jeff Pollack		(64 episodes, 1990-1995)
Lisa Rosenthal		(10 episodes, 1990-1996)
Samm-Art Williams		(9 episodes, 1990-1993)
Cheryl Gard		(7 episodes, 1990-1992)
Eddie Gorodetsky		(6 episodes, 1993-1995)
David Zuckerman		(6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Bennie R. Richburg Jr.		(5 episodes, 1990-1992)
Shannon Gaughan		(5 episodes, 1990-1991)
Winifred Hervey		(5 episodes, 1991-1993)
Bryan Winter		(5 episodes, 1991-1993)
Leslie Ray		(4 episodes, 1992)
David Steven Simon		(4 episodes, 1992)
Michael Soccio		(4 episodes, 1994-1996)
Adam Markowitz		(4 episodes, 1995-1996)
Rob Edwards		(3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Sandy Frank		(3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Maiya Williams		(3 episodes, 1994-1995)
Tom Devanney		(3 episodes, 1995-1996)
Joel Madison		(3 episodes, 1995)
Michael Fry		(2 episodes, 1992-1993)
Efrem Seeger		(2 episodes, 1992)
K. Snyder		(2 episodes, 1993-1994)
Bill Boulware		(2 episodes, 1993)
Andrea Allen-Wiley		(2 episodes, 1994-1995)
Robert Bruce		(2 episodes, 1995-1996)
Felicia D. Henderson		(1 episode, 1995-1997)
Casey Maxwell		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Werner Walian	....	producer (147 episodes, 1990-1996)
Quincy Jones	....	executive producer (55 episodes, 1990-1994)
Jeff Pollack	....	co-producer / co-executive producer (54 episodes, 1990-1994)
Benny Medina	....	co-producer / co-executive producer (53 episodes, 1990-1994)
Samm-Art Williams	....	supervising producer / producer / ... (48 episodes, 1990-1993)
Cheryl Gard	....	co-executive producer / supervising producer / ... (35 episodes, 1990-1995)
Winifred Hervey	....	executive producer (35 episodes, 1991-1993)
Mara Lopez	....	associate producer (30 episodes, 1990-1995)
Andy Borowitz	....	executive producer (26 episodes, 1990-1992)
Leslie Ray	....	supervising producer / producer / ... (26 episodes, 1992-1994)
David Steven Simon	....	supervising producer / producer / ... (26 episodes, 1992-1994)
Eddie Gorodetsky	....	co-producer (25 episodes, 1994-1995)
David Zuckerman	....	co-producer (25 episodes, 1994-1995)
Mary Ellen Jones	....	co-producer (24 episodes, 1992-1993)
Will Smith	....	executive producer (24 episodes, 1994-1996)
Larry Wilmore	....	co-producer (24 episodes, 1995-1996)
Ilene Chaiken	....	coordinating producer (21 episodes, 1991-1992)
Lisa Rosenthal	....	producer (20 episodes, 1991-1992)
Efrem Seeger	....	co-producer (15 episodes, 1992-1993)
Bryan Winter	....	co-producer (15 episodes, 1992-1993)
Kevin Wendle	....	executive producer (6 episodes, 1990-1991)
Barry Gurstein	....	co-producer / producer (6 episodes, 1993-1994)
David Pitlik	....	co-producer / producer (6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Maiya Williams	....	supervising producer / producer (6 episodes, 1993-1994)
Susan Borowitz	....	executive producer (5 episodes, 1990-1992)
Gary H. Miller	....	executive producer (5 episodes, 1994-1995)
Bill Boulware	....	supervising producer (4 episodes, 1993-1994)
Josh Goldstein	....	co-executive producer (2 episodes, 1994)
Bennie R. Richburg Jr.	....	supervising producer (2 episodes, 1994)
Robert Bruce	....	consulting producer (unknown episodes)
Joel Madison	....	supervising producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Quincy Jones III		(49 episodes, 1990-1995)

Series Film Editing by
Jim McQueen		(23 episodes, 1990-1992)
John Doutt		(14 episodes, 1992-1993)
Jesse Hoke		(8 episodes, 1994-1995)

Series Casting by
Allison Jones		(43 episodes, 1990-1995)
Sally Stiner		(43 episodes, 1990-1995)
Monica Swann		(16 episodes, 1991-1994)
Lisa Miller		(8 episodes, 1994-1995)

Series Production Design by
Fred M. Duer		(8 episodes, 1994-1995)

Series Art Direction by
John C. Mula		(21 episodes, 1991-1992)
Greg Wolfson		(15 episodes, 1990-1991)
Fred M. Duer		(15 episodes, 1992-1994)
Dahl Delu		(3 episodes, 1990-1991)

Series Set Decoration by
Greg Wolfson		(14 episodes, 1990)
Ron Olsen		(unknown episodes)

Series Costume Design by
Violette Jones-Faison		(15 episodes, 1992-1993)
Judy Richman		(5 episodes, 1994-1995)

Series Makeup Department
Joann Kozloff	....	makeup department head / makeup artist (148 episodes, 1990-1996)
Stacey Morris	....	hair stylist (123 episodes, 1991-1996)
Carol McCoo	....	hair stylist (35 episodes, 1990-1993)
Meta Hahn	....	hair stylist (9 episodes, 1994-1995)
Roddy Stayton	....	hair department head (unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Gary Considine	....	executive in charge of production (43 episodes, 1991-1995)
Sean O'Brien	....	production manager (7 episodes, 1994-1995)
William F. Phillips	....	executive in charge of production (2 episodes, 1990-1991)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Madeline Cripe	....	associate director (17 episodes, 1992-1995)

Series Art Department
Ron 'Ron Dog' Valentine	....	props (24 episodes, 1990-1992)
Fred M. Duer	....	assistant art director (20 episodes, 1991-1992)
Alan Okazaki	....	assistant art director (13 episodes, 1992-1995)
Ron Olsen	....	associate art director (2 episodes, 1991)
Rhonda Robinson	....	property master (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Ron Garrard	....	sound editor (25 episodes, 1994)
Allen Patapoff	....	sound re-recording mixer (24 episodes, 1990-1992)
Fred Tator	....	sound re-recording mixer (24 episodes, 1992-1993)
Craig Porter	....	sound re-recording mixer (23 episodes, 1990-1992)
Jim Mylenek	....	audio / sound (20 episodes, 1991-1992)
Leslie Bloom	....	foley artist (10 episodes, 1994)
Jeff Smith	....	sound mixer (9 episodes, 1994-1995)
John Macheca	....	audio / sound (2 episodes, 1991)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Victoria Walker	....	camera operator (98 episodes, 1990-1995)
Walter Glover	....	lighting director (16 episodes, 1991-1992)
Robin Strickland	....	lighting director (7 episodes, 1990-1991)
Art Busch	....	lighting director (unknown episodes)
John C. Mula	....	lighting director (unknown episodes)

Series Casting Department
Paul Garnica	....	background casting (25 episodes, 1990-1991)
Domenic Andreoli	....	casting associate (unknown episodes)
Jen Friesen	....	casting assistant (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nelson Bisbal	....	wardrobe supervisor / costume supervisor (32 episodes, 1991-1995)
Judy Richman	....	costume department supervisor (25 episodes, 1990-1994)
Marcy Craig	....	costume supervisor (22 episodes, 1990-1991)
Penny Larson	....	costumer (21 episodes, 1991-1992)
Cynthia Michaels	....	costumer (20 episodes, 1991-1992)
Melissa Franz	....	key costumer (11 episodes, 1992-1993)
Loring I. Spicer	....	key costumer (5 episodes, 1992)
Gregory B. Peña	....	set costumer (1 episode, 1990)

Series Music Department
Will Smith	....	composer: title song / composer: theme music (3 episodes, 1992)

Series Other crew
Mattie Caruthers	....	associate director / script supervisor (142 episodes, 1990-1996)
Andy Borowitz	....	executive consultant (123 episodes, 1991-1996)
Kevin King	....	director of payroll (99 episodes, 1991-1995)
Chris Klausen	....	stage manager (45 episodes, 1991-1995)
Susan Borowitz	....	executive consultant (39 episodes, 1991-1994)
Terri Prizant	....	production assistant / script supervisor (32 episodes, 1991-1995)
Bobreta Franklin	....	assistant to executive producer / assistant production coordinator / ... (31 episodes, 1991-1993)
Jim Eddy	....	assistant to producer / production assistant / ... (29 episodes, 1991-1995)
Herman Cox	....	production assistant (28 episodes, 1991-1994)
Eddie Gorodetsky	....	story editor (26 episodes, 1993-1994)
David Zuckerman	....	story editor (26 episodes, 1993-1994)
Maynard C. Virgil I	....	stage manager (25 episodes, 1991-1995)
Juanesta Holmes	....	production assistant / script supervisor (24 episodes, 1990-1992)
Michael Joseph	....	technical director (24 episodes, 1990-1991)
Dave Shulman	....	assistant to writers (24 episodes, 1990-1991)
Sean O'Brien	....	production coordinator (23 episodes, 1990-1992)
Michael Stramisky	....	technical director (23 episodes, 1990-1992)
William Gardhouse	....	video (23 episodes, 1991-1992)
Bennie R. Richburg Jr.	....	story editor / consultant: West Philly homeboys (23 episodes, 1991-1992)
Bryan Winter	....	executive story editor / executive story consultant (22 episodes, 1991-1992)
Steve Hoefer	....	production assistant (21 episodes, 1990-1992)
Anita Cooper-Avrick	....	stage manager (21 episodes, 1991-1992)
Tama Schierer	....	production assistant (19 episodes, 1991-1992)
Efrem Seeger	....	executive story editor / story editor (19 episodes, 1991-1992)
Steven W. Bauerfeind	....	production assistant (16 episodes, 1991-1992)
Russ Reinsel	....	technical director (15 episodes, 1992-1993)
Rae Kraus	....	associate director (12 episodes, 1990-1992)
Eunetta T. Boone	....	story editor (12 episodes, 1991-1992)
P. Karen Raper	....	story editor (12 episodes, 1991-1992)
Erma Elzy-Jones	....	associate director (10 episodes, 1991-1992)
Denise McIver	....	assistant to executive producer (10 episodes, 1992-1993)
Perry M. Rein	....	production assistant (10 episodes, 1992-1993)
Linda M. Yearwood	....	story editor (10 episodes, 1992)
Jennifer Knight	....	production assistant (9 episodes, 1992-1993)
Danita Patterson	....	production assistant (9 episodes, 1992-1993)
Gayle Abrams	....	assistant to executive producer / production assistant (9 episodes, 1994-1995)
Mike Kelley	....	production assistant (7 episodes, 1991-1992)
Rich Hosek	....	production assistant (7 episodes, 1994-1995)
Tim Trivette	....	production assistant (7 episodes, 1994-1995)
Shayne Lewin	....	production assistant (6 episodes, 1994-1995)
Denise Jennings	....	production assistant (5 episodes, 1991)
Marc Savoy	....	production assistant (5 episodes, 1992-1993)
Lionell Hilliard	....	production assistant (5 episodes, 1995)
Rachel Hauck	....	production assistant (4 episodes, 1991)
Irene Izaguirre	....	production assistant (4 episodes, 1994-1995)
Ilene Chaiken	....	supervising executive (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Kathryn Dow	....	production assistant (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Rob Edwards	....	executive story consultant (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Sandy Frank	....	executive story editor (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Shannon Gaughan	....	executive story editor / story editor (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Kevin Holden	....	production assistant (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Elvin Ivory	....	stage manager (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Lynn M. McCracken	....	stage manager (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Lisa Rosenthal	....	executive story consultant (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Danielle Satinover	....	production assistant (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Pamela Oas Williams	....	supervising executive (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
Deborah Kaplan	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1990-1991)
Latrice Williams	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1990-1991)
Larry Cogan	....	production accountant (unknown episodes)
Laura Gary	....	studio teacher (unknown episodes)
Christophe Smith	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• NBC Productions
• Quincy Jones Entertainment
• Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment
• The Stuffed Dog Company

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Television (1990-1996) (worldwide) (all media)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1990-1996) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1991-2004) (UK) (TV) (BBC 2)
• Noggin (2004-) (USA) (TV)
• RTL (1992-1997) (Germany) (TV)
• Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (SBT) (1992-) (Brazil) (TV)
• TV6 (2008) (Hungary) (TV) (re-release)
• Veronica (200?-) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2005-) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005-) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (season 1)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD) (seasons 2-4)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• ABS Payroll & Production Accounting Services  payroll services
• Transition Music  music provided by

Runtime:

24 min (148 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | USA:TV-PG | UK:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) (DVD rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G (some episodes) | UK:12 (one episode) | UK:U (most episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

NBC Productions

Trivia:

Will Smith's future wife 'Jada Pinkett-Smith' auditioned for a role of his girlfriend, Lisa, on his show, but was told she was too short.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In many of the early episodes you can see Will Smith mouthing the words of his co-stars before his lines come up.

Quotes:

Vivian Banks: Will, You're only 17. You don't have a rep yet.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Doom (2005)

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!