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.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.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.
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 16 wins & 32 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDespite portraying himself as a charismatic, self-confident playboy, Will Smith has said that he was a shy, awkward teen who was very insecure about approaching and dating girls.
- GoofsIn many early episodes, Will Smith visibly mouths his co-stars' words before his lines come up.
- Quotes
[Will's father came back into town, and then lied to Will about being around more and left. Phillip is trying to comfort him]
Will: Hey, you no what, you ain't got to do nothing, Uncle Phil. You know, ain't like I'm still five years old, you know? Ain't like I'm gonna be sitting every night asking my mom 'when's daddy coming home?' You know? Who needs him? Hey, he wasn't there to teach me how to shoot my first basket, but I learned it, didn't I? And I got pretty damn good at it too, didn't I, Uncle Phil?
Phillip Banks: Yeah, you did.
Will: Got to do my first date without him, right? I learned how to ride, I learned how to shave, I learned how to fight without him. I had *fourteen* great birthdays without him; he never even sent me a damn card. The hell with him!
[pause]
Will: I didn't need him then, I won't need him now.
Phillip Banks: Will...
Will: No, you know what, Uncle Phil? I'm gonna get through college without him, I'm gonna get a great job without him, I'm gonna marry me a beautiful honey and I'm having a whole bunch of kids. I'm gonna be a better father than he ever was. And I sure as hell don't need him for that, 'cause there ain't a damn thing he can teach me about how to love my kids!
[long pause; he's crying]
Will: How come he don't want me, man?
- Crazy creditsJanet 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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Late Night with David Letterman: Episode dated 7 September 1990 (1990)
- SoundtracksThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Written by Will Smith (as The Fresh Prince) and DJ Jazzy Jeff (uncredited)
Performed by Will Smith (as The Fresh Prince)
in association with A Touch of Jazz, Inc.
Of course, this show flourished during a time when rap was still good, and I can't help but make comparisons to the hip-hop community. There is no question that Will Smith is a born entertainer, and he got his break in stardom outside of hip-hop with "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." In it, Will Smith pretty much plays Will Smith (I bet creators Andy and Susan Borowitz had a lot of difficulty thinking up that name), a Philadelphia ghetto youth who gets shipped out by his mother to the posh excess of Bel-Air to live with relatives - The Banks.
Once out there, he finds rivalry with cousins - the preppy Carlton and airheaded would-be blonde Hilary Banks (Alfonso Ribiero and Karyn Parsons), young cousin Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali) emulates Will's hip-hop attitude, and Aunt Vivian (alternately played by actresses Janet Hubert-Whitten and Daphne Maxwell Reid) keeps husband and successful lawyer Uncle Phil's (James Avery) head cool when Will gets into trouble. To keep everything tidy and in order, their loyal, sarcastic British butler Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell) is there too.
It's still fresh after all these years. It never fails to stir up careful, thoughtful, moving, and intelligent laughs from the viewer and I'm surprised I avoided it for so long. (Why do I do this to myself all the time?)
The acting is cool and fresh by all, especially from Smith, and the ladies of the house, Karyn and Tatyana, are both pretty cute to look at too.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Der Prinz von Bel-Air
- Filming locations
- 251 N. Bristol Ave., Los Angeles, California, USA(establishing shots of the Banks' mansion)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro