The new hit show Bel-Air, starring Jabari Banks as Will Smith, gives fans of the old sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and fans of drama shows a great combination. The old sitcom ended back in 1996 and the remake started airing on Feb. 13 exclusively on the streaming service Peacock TV. 

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Bel-Air is about how Will Smith, a kid from West Philadelphia, gets into big trouble with bad people and has to go live with his Aunt and Uncle in Bel-Air, C. Will has to learn to adapt to his new home in Bel-Air, and he has to try to not get into any more trouble than he’s already in. “I thought this show was a great Idea. I recently binged ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ before I watched this one and I have to say the two are so different that it’s great,” junior Josh Mirsky said.

Despite 87% of Google users liking Bel-Air, it has received low scores on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, 60% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.3/10 on IMDb. The public is apparently liking the re-imagination of the beloved sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” while the TV and movie critics are not.

The show has already aired nine episodes. On the original release, fans were gifted with three episodes so they could take a deep dive into what the show is going to have to offer. “I thought having those three episodes come out first was a great idea because it really made me want to keep on watching. Now I watch the new episodes right when they come out every Thursday,” junior Harel Sebag said.

In “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” famous actor Will Smith used his own name in the show, so that if show was a hit, fans would still call him his real name. Jabari Banks who plays Will Smith in the remake didn’t get that opportunity. The show wanted to continue with the name Will Smith as a point of continuity. 

Even though the two shows are quite different, Bel-Air kept all the names from the original show. Uncle Phil is played by Adrian Holmes, Carlton Banks is played by Olly Sholotan, and Hilary Banks is played by Coco Jones. “ I love how all the character names are the same. It gives off that nostalgic feel all while being a completely different show at the time,” freshman Alexander Foster said. 

The show is co-developed by Will Smith, which helps Jabari Banks portray his role even better. Bel-Air is the same original story as “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” but is told in a more comprehensive way. 

“Bel-Air” is a good watch and fans of drama and “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” will  enjoy it.