With nostalgia for the ’90s at an all-time high, it’s unsurprising that the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air revival has already secured a future. Although the sitcom is still in its first season, Season 2 was greenlit before the show’s premiere.
Jabari Banks, a newcomer to Bel-Air, is an ideal fit for the character of Will: In real life, he attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and is also a rapper and basketball player. “I’m simply embracing who I am,” Banks explained to Geeks of Color. “From where I am… Occasionally, it does become real, and I am forced to withdraw.” Fortunately, he has a sympathetic mentor in the form of Will Smith. “Will was quite helpful early on,” Banks noted. “He stated that he desired to be what Quincy Jones was to him.”
Unlike Fresh Prince, though, Bel-Air is an hour-long drama on contemporary issues. (Of course, the original was a half-hour sitcom with plenty of fun interspersed with more serious subjects.) “The original is indescribably iconic. It will always be an inspiration. We never want to be a rip-off,” T.J. Brady, co-showrunner, told TVLine. “It’s simply just taking any ideas from the original and asking, ‘How would that look in reality in 2022?'”
The first three episodes of the new Peacock drama began on Sunday, February 13, with the remaining ten episodes scheduled to air weekly through Thursday, March 31. Here’s all we know about the forthcoming Season 2 of Bel-Air.
Is Bel-Air Season 2 currently in production?
The cast of Bel-Air has been so preoccupied with promoting Season 1 that they haven’t had time to begin filming Season 2. Once the season concludes in late March, we’ll likely learn more about when Season 2 will begin filming.
Are there Season 2 spoilers for Bel-Air?
What will happen in Season 2 remains a mystery. This makes sense: with so much drama packed into each episode of Bel-Air, who knows what may develop by the end of the first season? Season 1 concludes on March 31, so expect some hints and spoilers about what’s coming up next in just a few weeks.
When will Bel-Air Season 2 premiere?
Season 2 of Bel-Air is unknown at the moment, as we are still in the midst of Season 1. Additionally, it does not appear as though the series shot the second season concurrently with the first. Hopefully, as Season 1 closes in late March, we’ll learn more about future Bel-Air episodes (and seasons!)
Which cast members of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will return for Season 2?
One can only hope that every cast member returns for Season 2, given the apparent chemistry amongst the Bel-Air cast members. “I recall him [Will Smith] urging me to always create confidently,” Morgan Cooper, the show’s director, writer, and executive producer, told VIBE. “Him transferring the torch and entrusting me with the duty of reimagining these characters is an honor and something I take very seriously, but it was a responsibility I desired.”
#BelAir BTS –
September 8th, 2021.
📍West Philadelphia, 60th & Market St.Day 1 of the pilot, right before Jabari and Aprils’ first take.
📸 @CliftonPrescod pic.twitter.com/geKk0AkdIF
— Morgan Cooper (@cooperfilms) February 27, 2022
What Transpired During the First Season of Bel-air?
Bel-first Air’s season is filled with dramatic twists and turns. Although the season is not yet complete, here is what has transpired thus far.
As was the case with the original series, Will travels from Philadelphia to California to live with his Aunt Vivian (Cassandra Freeman) and Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes). The transfer occurred for the same reason as in the sitcom: Will runs afoul of drug traffickers and flees confrontation. The undercurrent in Bel-Air is significantly more harmful. Will pulled a gun on a drug dealer in Philadelphia, was charged with guns possession, and was bailed out by Phil. Will’s mother April (Viola “Vy” Smith) sends him to Bel Air for his safety—although he can’t quite escape his history, as the first season foreshadows a confrontation between Will and the dealer, which is averted by the house manager Geoffrey’s improbable intervention (Jimmy Akingbola).
Will undergoes severe cultural shock upon his relocation to Bel Air. He and cousin Carlton sometimes conflict, especially as Will develops affections for his cousin’s ex-girlfriend, Lisa (Simone Joy Jones), and establishes himself as a Bel-Air Academy basketball standout. “There is a great deal of hostility between Will and Carlton,” actor Banks told TVLine. “It’s going to be quite intriguing to witness the darker dynamic develop… Carlton is the monarch of this circle he has constructed, and Will throws a spanner in the works.”
The remaining characters are battling their demons. Aunt Viv is reviving her artistic career, while Uncle Phil is attempting to run for Los Angeles district attorney and bumping into roadblocks. Meanwhile, Hilary is a budding food influencer. “I wanted to speak for the girls who were CEOs and had these unorthodox dreams and routes that were not necessarily the go to college and get a job path, because it was not my path in life,” Coco Jones, who plays Hilary, told AwardsRadar. “It struck a deep chord with me to convey that narrative and to embody the daring, strong character required to achieve these ambitions despite all circumstances.” And 12-year-old Ashley (Akira Akbar) is discovering her true self as a teenager.
Is the Fresh Prince of Bel-air a Comedy?
Bel-Air is a reboot of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, albeit it lacks the original series’s straight-up humorous atmosphere. However, it has subtle allusions to the ’90s sitcom. For instance, ScreenRant discovered that at the start of the series, a J. Cole song (“No Role Modelz”) plays that mentions the death of the serial’s original Uncle Phil, actor James Avery.
“You can never recreate The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and so we wanted to create something that authentically reinvented these characters through a contemporary lens while paying honor to what they accomplished,” Cooper told TVLine. “When it’s organic, we pay tribute in those subtle, amusing ways through our stories.”
Cooper, who grew up watching the original series, was traveling on the interstate one day when “the complete vision hit me all at once,” he explained to Looper. “It’s always been a part of my life, my family’s life, my friends’ lives—everyone I hang out with loves The Fresh Prince. [However, I suggested, ‘What if we anchored these characters from the sitcom in contemporary American life? How would that appear?'”
Cooper created a pretend video trailer and placed it online—and, believe it or not, Smith’s crew saw it and immediately called Cooper to discuss turning the fictitious concept into a reality. A few weeks later, the men convened in Miami to begin serious discussions about establishing the show.
“After the journey, we shook hands and agreed to form a partnership to bring this concept to life through this show,” Cooper added. “It’s been a wonderful experience, and Will is the sweetest guy who is so supportive of my goal, for which I am eternally grateful.”
Is Bel Air a Real-world Location?
Yes! Bel Air (which does not require a hyphen in real life) is a posh neighborhood in Los Angeles filled with multimillion-dollar houses. Although superstars such as Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Jennifer Aniston, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Alfred Hitchcock were first not welcomed, the Los Angeles Times reports. However, the Bel Air shown in the series is not a replica of the city—creators took liberties with certain situations. However, the concept of Bel-Air—a city of extraordinarily wealthy people who live in mansions—is quite accurate.
Bel-air Has How Many Seasons?
Bel-Air is currently scheduled for a two-season run. Indeed, Bel-Air earned an immediate two-season order. “We have just clinched the deal with Peacock with an unprecedented two-season order from a pitch,” Smith informed Cooper and others during a September 2020 Zoom call. “I’ve been in this profession for thirty years, and that never happens. They purchased two complete seasons of Bel-Air as a result of the pitch’s quality and the work you guys did.” We should find out shortly whether a Season 3 is in the works, as renewal news is typically announced after television seasons.
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