The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 

A streetwise, poor young man from Philadelphia is sent by his mother to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins in their Bel-Air mansion.

Creators:

Andy Borowitz, Susan Borowitz

Stars:

Will Smith, James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 14 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Will Smith	...	Will Smith / ... 148 episodes, 1990-1996
James Avery	...	Philip Banks / ... 148 episodes, 1990-1996
Alfonso Ribeiro	...	Carlton Banks / ... 148 episodes, 1990-1996
Tatyana Ali	...	Ashley Banks / ... 148 episodes, 1990-1996
Karyn Parsons	...	Hilary Banks / ... 148 episodes, 1990-1996
Joseph Marcell	...	Geoffrey Butler / ... 148 episodes, 1990-1996
Daphne Reid	...	Vivian Banks / ... 75 episodes, 1993-1996
Janet Hubert	...	Vivian Banks 74 episodes, 1990-1996
Ross Bagley	...	Nicky Banks / ... 49 episodes, 1994-1996
DJ Jazzy Jeff	...	Jazz 46 episodes, 1990-1996

Storyline

In this popular African-American sitcom, Will Smith (played by Will Smith in his first acting gig) is a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia, who is sent to live with his wealthy relatives at their Bel-Air mansion in Los Angeles, California by his mother after getting into a fight with some thugs whilst playing basketball. His relatives include Philip Banks (played by James Avery), Will's strict and gruff uncle, who is a successful lawyer (later Judge) and Vivian Banks (played by Janet Hubert and later by Daphne Reid), Will's no-nonsense, forthright, and career-minded aunt who is a University Professor. Other members of the Banks family include Carlton Banks (played by Alfonso Ribeiro), Will's preppy and arrogant cousin, Hilary Banks (played by Karyn Parsons), Will's attractive but dull-witted, eldest cousin, Ashley Banks (played by Tatyana Ali), Will's youngest cousin who often looks u to Will, and Geoffrey, the family's cynical Butler. Will's working class background ends up...

---

Plot Keywords:

sitcom | character name as series title | nickname as series title | six word series title | servant | 

---

Taglines:

Influence goes both ways.

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

This may have been the first television series saved from cancellation by pleas from television station managers. The first four seasons aired in syndication after the fourth season, while the fifth season ran on NBC. NBC wanted to pull the plug because the new episodes were getting a mediocre 8.6 rating, but the reruns were drawing a 7.4. The managers of the local stations thought it might be a series that people watch religiously, and watch their favorite episodes often. To avoid over-running the shows they already had (about one hundred, already run three times), the station managers agreed to buy the fifth and sixth seasons at a greatly inflated price, adding fifty more shows to their libraries, meaning NBC would not lose money by picking up the show.

---

Goofs

Will and Carlton are supposed to be 15 or 16 when the show starts. They go to a conservative button down prep school, but they have mustaches. Aunt Vivian and Uncle Phil are their caretakers, and they are supposed to be very strict.

---

Quotes

Jazz: Happy birthday, Mr Banks! Heard you had quite a soirez last night. That's French for shindig.
Phillip Banks: What's French for 'unwelcome guest'?
Jazz: [handing him a gift] Brought this for you.
Jazz: [takes it, touched] They're false teeth.
Jazz: [Philip is slightly offended] They were my grandma's. She don't need them no more.
Jazz: [Philip drops it in disgust and stares up at him] I know that look.
Jazz: [Philip stands up] You're not getting any younger.
Jazz: [Philip grabs him] This isn't good for your back.
Jazz: [to Will] I brought this on myself.
Jazz: [...]

---

Crazy Credits

Janet Hubert-Whitten was credited simply as Janet Hubert during the first three episodes. During that time, the theme song was its full uncut version. From episode 4 onward the theme song was reduced by one verse and the "-Whitten" was added to Janet's credit.

---

Connections

Referenced in Nobody's Watching (2006)

---

Soundtracks

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Written by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff
Performed by Will Smith

User Reviews

Favorite show ever

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is definitely the best show ever. It is hard to laugh at nearly every joke, but they make it possible in this. Every character is awesome. This started Will Smith and I am proud to say that this was good. The storylines in this are excellent. Every character is well developed perfectly. James Avery and the two Vivians are really good as the parents. They convinced me perfectly. Alfonso Ribeiro is perfect as the dorky cousin of Will and he convinced me very much. Karyn Parsons is good as the snobby cousin and she definitely convinced me. Tatyana Ali is good as Ashley and her character developed for the better over the time. Joseph Marcell is perfect as the butler Geoffrey and he made me laugh everytime he said something funny. Ross Bagley is convincing as little Nicky and he was cool. And last, but definitely not least, is Will Smith. He convinced me very much as the hood who changes when he moves in with his rich family and I loved his character the most.

Overall the entire show is perfect and definitely my favorite. Rating ***** out of ****. (Favorite Show)

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

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:

22 min (148 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3