Bel-Air (TV series)

The series follows Will Smith's complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. It dives deep into racial tension, culture shock, and the elitist world of the black bourgeoisie. ==Cast and characters==

Main • Jabari Banks as Will Smith, a 16-year-old from West Philadelphia who is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel-Air by his mother, Vy • Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Will's aunt, wife of Philip and sister of Vy • Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey Thompson, the House Manager of the Bankses, originally from Jamaica before moving to London as a child • Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, the lacrosse-playing middle child of Viv and Phil and Will's cousin • Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, a social media influencer, excellent chef and eldest child of Viv and Phil and Will's cousin • Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, the 12-year-old youngest child of Viv and Phil and Will's cousin • Simone Joy Jones as Lisa Wilkes, a potential love interest of Will, and Carlton's ex. She is also on the swim team. • Jordan L. Jones as Jazz, a taxi driver Will met and bonded with when he arrived at LAX. He also owns a record store and has a crush on Hilary. • Adrian Holmes as Philip Banks, Will's lawyer uncle, husband of Viv Recurring • April Parker Jones as Viola "Vy" Smith, Will's mother • SteVonté Hart as Tray Melbert, Will's former best friend in Philadelphia • Tyler Barnhardt as Connor Satterfield, Carlton's best friend during season 1 but later stopped the friendship due to Connor's behavior • Joe Holt as Fred Wilkes, Lisa's father and the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department • Charlie Hall as Tyler Laramy, Will's friend and basketball teammate at Bel-Air Academy • Wendy Davis as Joan • Jon Beavers as Kylo • Michael Ealy as Reid Broderick • Karrueche Tran as Ivy • Tatyana Ali as Mrs. Hughes (season 2), Ashley's English literature teacher at Bel-Air Academy. Ali portrayed "Ashley Banks" in the original series. • Reno Wilson as James Lewis (season 2) ==Episodes==

Series overview Season 1 (2022) Season 2 (2023) Season 3 (2024) Season 4 (2025) ==Production==

Development On March 10, 2019, Morgan Cooper uploaded Bel-Air to YouTube. The submission was a fan film, written and directed by him, in the form of a mock trailer for an updated and dramatic reimagining of the television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Will Smith, who starred on the original sitcom as a fictionalized version of himself, heavily praised the fan film and expressed his interest in expanding the concept into a reboot, personally meeting with Cooper. On August 11, 2020, the series was officially announced after being in the works for over a year. At the time, Netflix, HBO Max, and Peacock were bidding for the rights to the series. On September 8, 2020, Peacock gave the series a two-season order under the title Bel-Air, with Westbrook Inc. and Universal Television producing. Smith and Cooper executive produce alongside Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Malcolm Spellman, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, Andy Borowitz, and Susan Borowitz. Upon the streaming records announcement, it was reported that Anthony Sparks joined the series as an executive producer for the second season. On March 17, 2023, Peacock renewed the series for a third season. On December 3, 2024, Peacock renewed the series for an eight-episode fourth and final season. Casting In August 2021, Smith surprised Jabari Banks with the news that Banks would star as the lead. In September 2021, Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar, Jimmy Akingbola, Jordan L. Jones, and Simone Joy Jones joined the cast as series regulars. In January 2022, Karrueche Tran, Duane Martin, Joe Holt, April Parker Jones, SteVonté Hart, Scottie Thompson, and Charlie Hall in recurring roles. In March 2022, it was reported that Daphne Maxwell Reid and Vernee Watson-Johnson guest starred in episode 9 on March 24. On January 12, 2023, it was announced that Saweetie is set to make a cameo appearance as herself while Brooklyn McLinn, Jazlyn Martin, and Riele Downs were cast in recurring capacities for the second season. A week later, it was reported that Tatyana Ali who played Ashley Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was cast in a recurring role for the second season. On February 21, 2023, Al-Shabazz Jabateh, Nicholas Duvernay, Diandra Lyle, Justin Cornwell, and Reno Wilson joined the cast in recurring capacities for the second season. On September 24, 2025, Tyra Banks was cast to guest star for the fourth season. On October 27, 2025, Janet Hubert who played the original Aunt Viv in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Caroline Chikezie joined the cast as guest stars for the fourth season. Filming Principal photography was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. ==Release==

An online premiere for the series was held on February 9, 2022, by Crown & Conquer. The series premiered on Peacock on February 13, 2022, with its first three episodes. The second season premiered on February 23, 2023. The third season was released on August 15, 2024, with three new episodes, followed by three episodes on August 22, and two episodes each on August 29 and September 5. The fourth and final season premiered on November 24, 2025, with three new episodes, followed by two episodes on December 1, and three episodes each on December 8. ==Reception==

Critical response On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 66% based 47 critic reviews, with an average rating on 6.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bel-Air replaces its predecessor's high spirits with a dour tone and an uneasy mix of realism, although there are signs that this reimagining can grow into a fresh new spin." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 59 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The second season has a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 71 based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews. On May 2, 2022, Peacock announced that Bel-Air is the most-streamed original series on the streaming service, reaching 8 million accounts to date. Accolades ==Notes==