Before he was starring in blockbuster franchise's the likes of BAD BOYS and MEN IN BLACK, rapper-turned-actor Will Smith could be found chillin' out, maxin' and relaxin' all cool while shootin' some B-ball outside of school for the NBC sitcom THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR.
Co-created by Quincy Jones, Andy Borowitz and Susan Borowitz, the hilarious and ofttimes touching series featured a young Smith as … well, a fictionalized version of Will Smith. For the show, Smith starred as a West-Philadelphia castoff who'd been shipped off to the posh hills of Bel-Air, California, to live with his Uncle Phil (James Avery), Aunt Vivian (Janey Louise Hubert / Daphne Reid), cousins Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), Hilary (Karyn Parsons), and Ashley (Tatyana Ali), as well as their snarky butler, Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell). The hit show lasted for six seasons, during which time Smith and his Fresh Prince co-stars delivered a series of powerful takes on topics such as abandonment, racism, classism, and struggles with identity.
According to a recent report printed by The Hollywood Reporter, Smith is overseeing the development of a new THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR spinoff series. The effort to create a new series based on the '90s sitcom will be happening courtesy of Westbrook – a new company overseen by Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. As per the report, Westbrook will produce the spinoff, though no other details about the project have been shared at this time.
Sadly, James Avery, passed away in 2013 due to complications from heart surgery. With Uncle Phil no longer in the picture, one has to wonder who will stand at the center of this intriguing project. I would venture a guess that the show will follow Smith's offspring, though I don't necessarily know how you would pull that off given his character's well-established desire to never leave his future children in the lurch. There's also a chance that a new Fresh Prince show will explore the lives of either Carlton, Hilary or Ashley's young ones, though I would imagine that Smith's character would somehow need to be a part of the equation.
What do you think about the prospect of THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR returning to the pop culture zeitgeist? So you think the series will be a straight-up comedy, or will it deal with the many problems that are facing our society today? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.
