The previous teaser for Bel-Air, the Will Smith-produced Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot, already previewed a different tone than the comedic original. In this full-on trailer, though, things truly get gritty (because no one can resist that these days) and legitimately dark with the following tagline: “You know the Banks family, but not like this.”
From there, we see much of what happened on those Philly streets. Roughed-up squabbles and gunfire and police and a jail-cell death threat. In short, Will truly was going nowhere fast, so that led Uncle Phil to bring his nephew to California “for a better education” and (probably) some fresher threads. That’s the official story, and that appears to be where the darkness begins to ebb, and oh boy, there’s another new Aunt Viv. From the the official synopsis:
Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air is a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90’s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” that leans into the original premise: Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show.
Smith executive produces here, and Bel-Air snagged a prime premiere spot: Super Bowl Sunday. Peacock will premiere three episodes on launch day, and the rest of the show will roll out on a weekly basis.