Peacock is keeping theBel-Airstory going. Serving as a more dramatic reboot of the classic sitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the series first premiered on Peacock in February of last year. Season 2 premiered in February and is just under halfway through, but NBCUniversal wasn’t waiting for the finale to decide if they want to continue the show. PerVariety, it’s been revealed thatBel-Airhas been officially renewed for a third season on the streaming platform, so no matter how this current season ends, fans will be going into it knowing that the story isn’t over just yet.
The show has been a big hit for Peacock in terms of viewership, as it debuted as the most-streamed original series that’s been introduced on the streamer up to this point. Season 2 must be maintaining that high viewership for the renewal order to come in after just four of the season’s ten episodes have premiered. It seems that the show is finding its footing with the second season when it comes to the critical response as well. While the first season had reviews that were a bit more mixed, its second season landed at 90% at Rotten Tomatoes, a considerable bump from teh season 1 score of 66%.
The series serves as a total reimagining ofThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, starring Jabari Banks as a new incarnation of Will Smith, the teenager played by actor Will Smith in the original. As with the comedy series version,Bel-Airpicks up with Will moving to his aunt and uncle’s home in Bel-Air in an effort to keep him away from trouble in West Philadelphia. The difference is that the series is a lot darker than the sitcom, removing the laugh tracks and much of the comedy and taking on very serious subject matter.
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Bel-Air Began as a YouTube Video
The series began its life as a parody trailer on YouTube. Filmmaker Morgan Cooper created the mock trailer, likely not expecting it to ever be made into a full-fledged series. The faux trailer is a lot like how the show turned out, imagining the events ofThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airif the show were a gritty drama. After going viral, the video got the attention of Will Smith, who wound up being so impressed that he met with Cooper so the two could collaborate on turningBel-Airinto a show for real.
Along with Jabari Banks as Will, the series also stars Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Adrian Holmes as Philip Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, Simone Joy Jones as Lisa Wilkes, Jordan L. Jones as Jazz, and Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey Thompson.
