The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

TV Series
1990–1996
TV-PG
22m

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

147K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

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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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

147K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

911

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 16 wins & 32 nominations total

Episodes148

Browse episodes

TopTop-rated6 seasons7 years

Trivia
Despite 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.

Goofs
In 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 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
Featured in Late Night with David Letterman: Episode dated 7 September 1990 (1990)

Soundtracks
The 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.

User reviews169

Review

Featured review

My all-time favourite TV series

Of all the shows, I believe that "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is the one with which I can most identify with, since I have surely seen every single episode at least a dozen times - and yet it STILL never gets tired! I cannot get sick of this show, and it's making me a bit disturbed! Just what is it that makes this show so continually appealing, even around seven years since its final episode? I'm not sure...it's certainly not just one element. Every part of this show is magic: the wonderful acting from all involved; the witty (and often painfully hysterical) one-liners and banter between characters; the hip, cool atmosphere; the music...it all perfectly fits into what has to be one of the most remarkable and well-made sitcoms of the '90s.

I find myself shocked sometimes at the number of people who have totally forgotten about this show. Granted, it DID end in 1996, and obviously a lot has happened since then (most notably the skyrocketing music & film career of a certain lead star), but I mean, come on! This show is an undisputed classic! Who can forget the wild, crazy, and just plain amusing adventures we've had with Will Smith and the Banks family?

There were times when I was just addicted to this show, I remember...it was a while back when the episodes were running in syndication every evening on TBS SuperStation...I can't believe how this show can always manage to crack me up. It's incredible. I've grown to love all these characters so much, and even now, I still wouldn't pass up an opportunity to watch yet another priceless rerun.

I agree, though, that yes, a lot of the late, LATE episodes (around the second-last and final season) had their fair share of groans, and showed some glaring signs of tedium, but thankfully, the overwhelming positive qualities of the series tower over such minor flaws - including the mysterious re-casting of Aunt Vivian's role from Janet Hubert-Whitten to Daphne Maxwell Reid; the increasingly old-hat shtick of using the same stock footage whenever Jazz gets thrown out of the Banks residence for the umpteenth time; the cursed addition of a new cast member - little Nicky Banks (Ross Bagley), etc....

It's not an entirely perfect show, certainly (but then - what show is?), and it has had its fair share of ups and downs in its moderately impressive run of six years. However, when all is said and done, in the end, this show can proudly stand on its own as a pop culture treasure. It has evolved from what seemed initially to be an awkward, cheesy, quaint little '80s/'90s Cosby rip-off to a mature, slick, and fabulously written/produced/directed program. Pure gold is what this show is.

A truly underrated, and always entertaining, gem. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is one for the ages.