The 90s sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is getting a reboot based on director Morgan Cooper’s five minute trailer. He released it on Youtube last year and it caught the attention of the Fresh Prince himself Will Smith.
Will will produce Morgan’s re-imagined version, Bel-Air, which will be grittier, darker, and more dramatic than the original. Will and Morgan have been shopping the idea around to several subscription services and networks. On Tuesday, Will announced on his Youtube channel that two seasons of the series have been ordered by the Peacock subscription service. Here is more on the story from Variety via NME:
A Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot has been picked up for two seasons courtesy of subscription platform Peacock, Variety has confirmed.
The upcoming show, titled Bel-Air will be based on a viral video by superfan Morgan Cooper which imagined the sitcom as a drama – and racked up over 5million views.
Cooper will co-write and direct the series, while Chris Collins (The Wire) will serve as showrunner. Will Smith, who played the main character in the comedy series, announced the news yesterday (September 8) on YouTube.
[From NME]
I am so geeked about this show. Not to mention the fact that I have a free Peacock subscription because I am an Xfinity customer! I feel that this reboot is what we need right now as far as storytelling. It feels more on trend with the times and I love how Morgan rewrote the original characters.
This to me is how a reboot should be done. Trying to recreate the magic of an original hit is futile but re-imagining it in a modern voice will guarantee success in my opinion. The fact that Peacock believed in the script so much that they ordered two season upfront is saying something. Most networks order a season or a limited amount of episodes up front.
The other thing that has me truly excited is that the series will have hour long episodes verses thirty like the original. Morgan will also be co-writing and co-producing the series. I love that Will wanted to back new talent. The series will have all of its original producers.
Anyhow, my teenage self is preparing for Bel-Air to drop. In the meantime, I will be watching to see who they will be casting in the roles. I wonder if they will be looking for new talent or picking up some better known names. Either way, this show may be the balm we need in 2021 after such an insane 2020.
Here is the video announcement:
Note by CB: Here are set photos from the Fresh Prince Bel-Air reunion coming to HBO Max! Janet Hubert, the original Aunt Viv from the first three seasons, is there too. Huh.
I looooved The prince of Bel-Air when I was a kid!!!
I am really looking forward to this show. Even as a sit-com, the Fresh Prince touched on subjects that were deeply important for civil rights. As a drama, it allows the story to go deeper, and more true to today’s issues.
I want to watch this but idk what peacock is and I’m not subscribing to another service.
It’s the NBC Universal streaming service. We have xfinity, so like Oya mentioned in the post, we get it for free as part of the package, I haven’t explored it too much yet though.
We get it free from cable as well. But my husband has it as an app on his phone that is free too. My son likes watching the old sitcoms from the 90’s on it. His only complaint is there are a lot of commercials. And they’re very loud.
It’s free. No download needed. You can also watch on your computer. I didn’t download the app on my phone. Now, the reboot maybe paid content. Not sure.
https://www.peacocktv.com/
https://www.peacocktv.com/help/article/what-devices-and-platforms-are-supported-by-peacock
I am HERE for this!
I am so excited!
There’s so much potential for a really relevant and thought provoking show.
Beyond excited for this. Before I saw the trailer, I was pretty weirded out at the concept of a gritty reboot of Fresh Prince. But that trailer is 🔥.
That trailer was so incredibly moving. I hope the show is a great success. I now want to go back and re-watch the original.
I didn’t watch the original regularly, but i watched it some. And i still remember the rawness of the one where his dad came to visit, promised they’d travel together and then left him without saying goodbye. Leaving Uncle Phil to break it to him, and comfort him. Tearing up now thinking about it. Powerful.
This was the episode! I watched episodes here and there but this was the one that made me see the show and the actors in such a different light, really catapulted all of them from entertainment to social commentary and art. Love everything about the new project and how it came to be. I don’t know what Peacock is but I’ll find a way to watch this reboot.
I’m pretty psyched about this too.
I’m very interested in watching the reunion of the OG cast – especially because of Janet Hubert’s involvement. The new take on the Fresh Prince looks amazing!
You can also get a free subscription w/o Infinity – which right now means you have commercials.
The trailer was amazing, it reimagined The Fresh Prince in a way that wasn’t gimmicky. I’m looking forward to this show. Can’t wait to see who is cast.
This makes sense: even the lyrics to the original theme song were pretty dark if you think about it … A young black man uprooted from a dangerous neighborhood to move across the country with an an aunt and uncle of a completely different socioeconomic status, facing a new life as one of only a few other BIPOC in the area, at a delicate age, the commitment of the other family to embrace him, the fears of his mother to part with him in the first place…it’s a lot. I love how the original show was funny and still touched on a lot of these issues, but I am so here for the deeper exploration of what this would really look like in real life
I hated the original. I just was never into sitcoms. The reboot trailer looked amazing when I saw it. I’m so delighted for the film maker to have his break, he is so talented. I will definitely give the drama version a watch.
This is the best news I’ve heard all week. I normally hate reboots, especially of shows or movies I loved, but the trailer was SO GOOD.