BLACK IN FOCUS
AMON WARMANN chews over the main moment in Black film and TV this month
THE FRESH PRINCE DRAMATIC REBOOT HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR GREATNESS
THE FRESH PRINCE Of Bel-air was a show that was watched often in the Warmann household as I was growing up. The lyrics to its memorable theme song were always loudly recited, word for word. Its combination of consistent laugh-out-loud humour and sincere heart made it a great family-friendly sitcom that still holds up today. 2020’s cast reunion — coming 30 years after the first episode aired — brought memories of the series’ best moments flooding back.
A few months before that poignant special came an unexpected announcement: the series would be coming back in a new form as Bel-air, a dramatic reimagining of the show based on the concept trailer created by Morgan Cooper that went viral in 2019. A year later, it scored a twoseason order at NBC’S streaming platform Peacock, and earlier this month it was revealed that newcomer Jabari Banks will play the lead role.
When I think back to The Fresh Prince, nostalgia for its light, fun-to-watch comedy elements is the first thing that hits me (Uncle Phil hilariously telling Geoffrey to “break out Lucille” and then proceeding to out-hustle a pool hustler is still something I think about often). The show was indeed all of those things, but it was actually at its best when things got serious. Its musings on heavy topics like race relations, class, and fatherhood all resonated in profound ways.
All of those core ideas means the series is well suited to make the jump from 20-minute sitcom to a grittier, drama-first setting. Not only could the reboot re-examine situations that the show dealt with in the past with a 2021 lens, it can also tackle the modern issues that today’s Black kids are dealing with. Moreover, with the episodes coming in hour-long instalments, the show will have more space to fully mine the depths of its topics in ways that weren’t always possible in its original incarnation. That’s enough to have me whistling for a cab and saying, “Yo, home, to Bel-air!” once again.
Some trepidation is understandable. Part of the original’s conceit was Will Smith playing an exaggerated version of himself, and someone with his star wattage doesn’t come around very often. But the 148 episodes that aired from 1990 to 1996 aren’t going anywhere, and going down this path keeps things as fresh as ever. The Prince would be proud.