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    The Reboot Of "The Fresh Prince" Is Very Different From The Original – Here Are 23 Of The Biggest Changes

    Uncle Phil has gone from daddy to ~zaddy~.

    by
    Sam Cleal
    by Sam Cleal

    BuzzFeed Staff

    ,
    Hanifah Rahman
    by Hanifah Rahman

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Bel-Air has finally dropped on Peacock (US) and Sky/NOW (UK), and honestly, we think it's pretty great!

    Jabari Banks as Will Smith in Bel-Air wears a school uniform with a baseball cap sideways and headphones
    Peacock

    The reboot follows the same storyline as the iconic '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, in which street-smart Will Smith moves to Bel-Air from Philadelphia to live with his wealthy aunt, uncle, and their three kids.

    A LOT has changed in this reboot, which came about after a viral trailer for a more ~dramatic~ version of The Fresh Prince was released by filmmaker Morgan Cooper.

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com

    The trailer caught the eye of Will Smith himself, who met with Morgan to develop a modern revision of the classic NBC sitcom. Cut to September 2020, when Peacock ordered two seasons of the show to be made by Universal Television and Will and Jada's production company, Westbrook Inc.

    Many adaptations to the series will have been immediately obvious from the trailer, but having recently binged the first three episodes ourselves, we thought we'd break down ALL of the biggest changes we noticed as fans of the original show!

    1. First off, the overall tone has shifted considerably from laugh-a-minute to serious teen drama.

    Peacock

    The original The Fresh Prince was your standard sitcom – there was drama and romance, but the show was mainly about the jokes! The biggest change in Bel-Air is that the show is trying to achieve something completely different.

    The series digs deeper into the lives of the Banks family to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly. It touches on real issues affecting the lives of Black Americans, and it doesn't gloss over things in the same way a sit-com might.

    2. And we get to see a little bit of Will's life in Philadelphia before he leaves for Bel-Air.

    xx as Viola and Jabari Banks as Will crossing the street smiling to each other
    Clifton Prescod/Peacock

    The opening credits to The Fresh Prince give us an idea of what happened to Will and why he left West Philly, but they're pretty short and sweet. In episode one of Bel-Air, however, we get to see who Will ~was~ at home in Philadelphia.

    The story is more or less the one we already know about, but Will's relationships with his mum and his best friend Tray are more closely examined, as is his life at school and at home, and of course, we get to see the actual confrontation on the basketball court that famously earns him a one-way ticket to Bel-Air.

    3. While the events that led to his move are familiar, the stakes are way higher.

    Jabari Banks as Will Smith firing a gun into the air
    Peacock

    Going off the opening titles of the original Fresh Prince, it's not hard to see Will's mum as kind of overprotective and cautious. But in this iteration, it’s pretty much a necessity. Yes, Will gets in one "little" fight and his mum does get scared, but she has very good reason to. What starts out as a basketball match gone wrong ends in a jail cell, and what is essentially a target on Will's head.

    Through Tray and Viola, we get a look at the aftermath of the events, which gives us a good idea of what could have been in store for Will had he not been sent away.  

    4. The episodes are much longer, which means we get to understand the characters and the plot-lines in greater depth.

    Jabari Banks as Will Smith and Adrian Holmes as Uncle Phil stood on basketball
    Peacock / Greg Gayne/Peacock

    Episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air were around 22 minutes long, but episodes of Bel-Air are about an hour in length. Will Smith explains the significance of this change himself in a video he posted during the pre-production process for the series. "As funny as the episodes are, there was a whole other layer that you couldn't do. In a one hour drama, you can do eight episode arcs!"

    5. The opening credits are hella different.

    Peacock

    Probably one of – if not THE – most iconic theme tune out there is sadly not featured in this new series, although fans will have noted that Will does reference it in the first episode! Instead, we get a modern sleek sizzle featuring a song by Easy McCoy.

    6. We get to see a lot more of the Banks' Bel-Air mansion...

    Jabari Banks as Will Smith standing in a huge double bedroom
    Peacock

    We can't have been the only ones who watched The Fresh Prince and wanted to have a poke around the Banks' luxurious mansion. Well, in this series you kind of feel like you're actually there! We see everything from the Bank's garden to each family member's room – it's like the best kind of Sims house you could imagine!

    7. ...Which is fancy AF!

    xx as Jeffery opening the doors to the enormous hallway of the Bel-Air mansion
    Peacock

    KUWTK fans, remember when the Kardashians moved from their grand mansion to their even grander one? It's a bit like that – think six-foot gates, fountains, and ACRES of land. We always knew the Banks' had money, but now there isn't a moment where we can forget just how filthy rich they are.

    8. The cinematography has been elevated to the next level.

    Peacock

    We love The Fresh Prince, but dear God, from a picture resolution perspective, it's hard to watch back. Everyone was so blurry! The move from a multi-camera comedy to a single-camera drama automatically changes a lot of the cinematography, and honestly, it's a great adjustment. The sweeping shots of the mansion and the recurring motif of a throne room really add something special to the series.

    9. Geoffrey has way more of an edge, but he's still a Brit!

    xx as Geoffrey stood in a large living room looking impatient
    Peacock

    Don't expect the good ol' sarcastic, plummy Geoffrey Butler! Introducing Geoffrey Thompson – the house manager who's originally from Jamaica but grew up in London. In Bel-Air, Geoffrey is more like a mate of Uncle Phil – he's considerably less buffoonish (in a fun way) than the previous iteration, and he's definitely not there to simply clean up after everyone. At one point Will calls him "Idris", and that kind of tracks, tbh. 

    10. Aunt Viv is just as amazing, but this time round she's an artist.

    xx as Aunt Viv cheersing a champagne class
    Adam Rose/Peacock

    In The Fresh Prince, Vivian Banks was an English professor, but in Bel-Air she's a professor of art who gave up her painting career to raise a family. Viv still runs her household and looks after her family with a firm yet loving approach à la the Janet Hubert version, but we also get to understand her even more as a person with talent and ambition outside of her role as a mother.

    11. Hilary is a little warmer and less one-dimensional...

    Coco Jones as Hilary Banks taking a selfie
    Peacock / Adam Rose /Peacock

    Let's have it right – Hilary Banks is an iconic TV character, but she was kind of one note, tbh. The new revised Hilary retains the original's sense of style and charisma, but builds out the character a little.

    When Will arrives, Hilary rallies around him and the two hit it off right away, unlike in The Fresh Prince where she kind of just ignores him for a long time. We also see Hilary making intelligent decisions for herself and calling out injustice as she sees it, which is very unlike the ditzy '90s version – as ICONIC as she was!

    12. ...And fashion isn't her only forte.

    Coco Jones as Hilary Banks serving food
    Peacock

    It took a while for original Hil to find her true passion, and let's be real; she didn't have all that many adult life skills. Well, it's the opposite this time – from the first episode, we learn that she has some serious culinary skills, which is possibly the biggest contrast to '90s Hilary. She's also a social media star (naturally), so maybe there's a modernised Hilary show on the horizon. 

    13. And the character of Carlton is VERY different.

    Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks doing lines of drugs
    Peacock

    For fans of the show, this is probably THE most jarring difference. In The Fresh Prince, Carlton was basically a bit of a dweeb but he was ultimately harmless. In Bel-Air, however, Carlton is the coolest guy at Bel-Air Academy and he kind of has it out for Will from the get-go.

    In the first episodes alone, Carlton fights with Will, embarrasses him in front of the whole school, and develops a deep-seated jealousy towards him. We also get a brief look into his struggle with anxiety and his burgeoning problem with drug use. He's basically nothing like the original... He has the same name and that's about it.

    14. In fact, Will's relationship with Carlton is WAY more antagonistic than in The Fresh Prince.

    Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks and Jabari Banks as Will Smith standing in a school library
    Peacock

    Honestly, Carlton is the villain of Bel-Air at this stage. Maybe he'll redeem himself as things progress, but as of now, he's pretty awful. He does have a few good reasons to dislike Will (we'll get to that later), but his "I'm better than you" energy sets the tone of the cousin's relationship from the start.

    15. Also, Ashley is sort of just there.

    Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks  smiling
    Peacock

    Sadly, in Bel-Air’s first three episodes, we barely see Ashley at all. It's weird since Will and Ashley bond pretty much instantly in The Fresh Prince, but in Bel-Air, they haven't had much interaction at all so far. Let's hope that changes, because the Ashley-Will relationship was such a memorable part of the original show!

    16. Uncle Phil is more zaddy than daddy.

    Adrian Holmes as Uncle Phil smiling
    Peacock

    James Avery's uncle Phil was iconic, but were you thirsting after him? Probably not. That's not the only difference between the two though – he's as firm as '90s uncle Phil, but he doesn't have that same warmth. Maybe we'll see a softer side to him later on, but aside from looking sharp AF, he's bad vibes. 

    17. And he's running for DA.

    Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks and Adrian Holmes as Uncle Phil making a speech
    Peacock

     '90s uncle Phil was never too keen on merging his world of the legal elite with Will and his carefree candour, but this time the stakes are way higher. In the first episode, we're introduced to his colleagues at a work event at the Banks' mansion, and Will wastes no time letting them know that it feels like the Roc Nation brunch. This doesn't go down too well, and very much sets the tone. Uncle Phil's clearly concerned that Will's going to impact his career, and it doesn't look like he's about to let that happen. 

    18. Surprisingly, Jazz is pretty wise.

    Jabari Banks as Will Smith sat in the back of a car driven by  XX as Jazz
    Peacock

    The rebooted Jazz appears to be a taxi driver, and on picking up Will from the airport, it's clear to see that he's almost nothing like Jazzy Jeff. They instantly hit it off, and in the first three episodes, Jazz is essentially Will's voice of reason, giving him advice on how to navigate Bel-Air life while staying true to himself. Uncle Phil does take an instant disliking to him though – some things just never change.

    19. There's no to time wasted when it comes to showing the ugly side of the LA elite.

    Jabari Banks looking at his white classmates, and Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks in the school lockerroom
    Peacock

    Privilege oozes out of Will's schoolmates – seeing a bunch of white boys rapping along to a song, shouting the n-word with their chest is perhaps the biggest shock here. The original Fresh Prince never shied away from topics like this, but in this version, things are a little more realistic, and things aren't resolved by end of each episode.

    20. And this affects how Will fits in at school.

    The school assembly
    Peacock

    Bel-Air’s Will has to work much harder to fit in and overcome Bel-Air’s biases against him. There's no sugarcoating just how much of an outsider Will is, and it looks like these differences will be a big part of the plot as the season unfolds.

    21. We meet Lisa straight away.

    Simone Joy Jones as Lisa smiling at someone off camera
    Peacock

    In the original, we didn't get Lisa until the fifth season, but she pops up in episode one. We're not sure if this is THE Lisa Will almost marries, but they do share a name. There's no sign that this Lisa has any intention to put him through his paces to test his worthiness, and by the end of the first episode they're already making out.

    22. And she and Carlton have a history together.

    Simone Joy Jones as Lisa looking at Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks
    Peacock / Greg Gayne/ Peacock

    This partly explains why Will and Carlton have tension, but perhaps the biggest difference here is the fact that Carlton was in a relationship.

    23. And, of course, there is obviously wayyy less of '90s influence on the style and aesthetic.

    Jabari Banks as Will Smith in Bel-Air wears an orange bomber jacket and jeans whereas Will Smith in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air wears a brightly coloured shellsuit
    Greg Gayne/Peacock / NBC

    From Will to Hilary and Ashley to Jazz, the OG series was bastion of '90s style! There are hints of that here and there (and everyone is definitely serving up lewks) but for the most part, the series has moved on visually. It's a shame because some of Will's '90s outfits were LEGENDARY.

    What are your opinions of Bel-Air so far? Let us know in the comments!

    Bel-Air is now streaming on Peacock and exclusively on Sky/NOW every Friday.