The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is getting a gritty reboot next year on the Peacock, but before that one-hour drama starts streaming, former The Root writer Michael Harriot has beat the new show to the punch by reimagining the original series as a crime drama. In an epic Twitter thread, Harriot claims that the ’90s sitcom classic that launched Will Smith‘s career is actually the story of “a police informant working undercover to expose a drug-trafficking cartel.”
Harriot breaks it down by exposing the ridiculous premise of The Fresh Prince‘s iconic opening theme:
I don’t know how y’all bought that story about Will moving across the country because he got in “one little fight.” When the Fresh Prince started in 1990, the crack game was too lucrative for Philly dope boys to risk all that drug money by killing a high school kid over a b-ball.
I don’t know how y’all bought that story about Will moving across the country because he got in “one little fight.” When the Fresh Prince started in 1990, the crack game was too lucrative for Philly dope boys to risk all that drug money by killing a high school kid over a b-ball
— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) December 15, 2021
As Harriot tells it, Will was a “dope boy who was making too much money,” so the cartel had to take him out. Faced with no options, Will decides to take down the whole operation, but he’d need to get closer to the situation to gain some assistance. Specifically in the form of an international drug kingpin who also happened to be a lawyer: Phillip “Big Bank” Banks.
1. He could do a bid for drug trafficking or
2. He could help him take down his supplier’s drug operation
Here’s where it gets good. Will’s supplier was an international drug kingpin:
Phillip “Big Bank” Banks
Why would a successful lawyer get involved in drug trafficking? pic.twitter.com/oHANf5Dab4
— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) December 15, 2021
From there, Harriot weaves a dark tale of Will and Uncle Phil taking on the cartel and righting past wrongs like “Big Bank” NARCing on civil rights leaders back home. Jazz and Carlton are even in the mix, but we won’t spoil their roles for you. It’s a wild ride that just set the bar pretty high for when Bel-Air starts streaming next year.
You can read Harriot’s entire epic thread here.