‘90s sitcoms are big business at the moment. Friends is more popular than ever, given a new life and capturing a Gen-Z audience on Netflix – and now The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air is set to make a comeback in an all-new form. The beloved series originally ran through 1990 to 1996 (and was a staple on BBC Two for UK audiences) starring Will Smith as a Philly kid who moves to the wealthy LA neighbourhood of the title – and now that same concept is being revisited as a fully-fledged drama series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new series is titled Bel-Air, and is based on a four-minute short form 2019 that did the rounds online, re-imagining the sitcom in a grittier form, created by Morgan Cooper. Now Cooper is teaming up with Will Smith himself to develop the new series, set to co-write the script, direct and act as co-executive producer. There’s no home for the show yet, but bidders include NBC’s Peacock (NBC was the network behind the original series), Netflix, and HBO Max (which currently streams the sitcom in the US). Fresh Prince producers Quincy Jones and Benny Medina, and creators Andy and Susan Borowitz are all returning as executive producers, with Chris Collins down as showrunner and co-writer with Cooper.
There’s certainly potential in reviving the concept of a hard-living East Coast teen relocating to the high-life of Bel-Air – and the original show tackled some serious topics among the sitcom gags across its run. And with a whole host of grown-up Gen X and millennial fans, and a huge new audience out there on streaming, this one could draw a real crowd. The big question: what are they going to do about the theme tune? Start your remixes now.