Nostalgia reboots can be tricky, to say the very least. For every Cobra Kai, there are a sea of efforts that fail to harness the same energy as the originals while also bringing updated reasons to root for the same characters. That ’90s Show will soon take the plunge into charted waters on Netflix, and over on Peacock, an already successful rewarming of a classic series will return.
We’re talking about Bel-Air, the Will Smith-produced Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot that stars Jabari Banks (as Will). And back when this series first came together at Peacock, few would have imagined that a gritty update could work (especially with this tagline: “You know the Banks family, but not like this”) when the original show was so comedic in tone. Yet the show brought muscle without the cursed Carlton dance, and Peacock saw fit for a renewal. Here’s what to know before Season 2.
Release Date
The one-hour drama will return to Peacock on February 23 (with three fresh episodes) and continue to roll out on a weekly basis. For those who have already watched the series, expect to see familiar faces return.
Cast
Those roughed-up Philly streets haven’t left Will’s psyche as easy as with his 1990s counterpart. He landed in California, where Uncle Phil wants him to turn his life around, and the show got dark during the first season by diving deeper than a 30-minute sitcom could do even if it really tried. Banks is back as will with Olly Sholotan as Carlton, Adrian Holmes as Uncle Phil, and Cassandra Freeman as the updated Aunt Viv (who will hopefully not be controversially replaced like one of her predecessors was). Also expect to see Coco Jones as Hilary, Akira Akbar as Ashley, and Jordan L. Jones as Jazz.
Variety also recently reported that rapper Saweetie will enter in cameo form at some point this season with three actors on tap for recurring roles: Brooklyn McLinn, Jazlyn Martin, and Riele Downs. There’s been no word on whether Marlon Wayans and April Parker Jones will step back into view as Will’s parents, and only time will tell.
Plot
Here’s the second season’s official synopsis:
Season two of Bel-Air picks up with Will at a crossroads as a new figure comes into his life who challenges what he’s learned in Bel-Air and competes for control of his influence. He juggles this while navigating his home life with the Banks family and trying to rebuild the trust that was broken at the end of last season. We’ll see Will and Carlton’s brotherhood start to evolve as they grow closer, but still challenge each other about their differences. We’ll also see Hilary evolve as she becomes more of a boss in her influencer world and how that spills over into her relationship with Jazz, and also highlight the relatable struggles around Viv and Phil balancing marriage and family while trying to forge their own career paths and reconnect to the things that are important to them.
Trailer
You can view the official teaser for Bel-Air Season 2 below:
Bel-Air streams again on February 23.