TV Review: Bel-Air Takes Trades The Fresh For Drama
I was nervous for Bel Air because hearing that the Fresh Prince of Bel Air is getting a dark, dramatic version feels so…. meh. Even if it is helmed by Will Smith, part of why we loved the original was its light-heartedness, and this whole Hollywood push to revive classic tales and turn them into emo-reboots can give fatigue. Luckily, Peacock stands out as a platform that knows how to remake or rather refreshen a classic, i.e. the hilarious Saved By The Bell and even MacGruber. Out on February 13, Bel-Air was surprisingly good even if took adjusting to.
Jabari Banks plays Will Smith, and he is a charm. He is goofy, sweet, friendly, and oozes a boyish warmth that makes you want to protect him from the multitude of enemies he knows how to attract, including Carlton (Olly Sholotan). Yes, Carlton is a bad guy that Rue Bennett his nights with poor choices in friends, drugs, and self-esteem, which might seem typical for the most popular guy in school.YES, our beloved, short cousin is a mean, still short jock and I am hurting. Frankly, I did know how to process the “change in script” as now Carlton is Will’s bully, and Will, actually, gets in deep trouble: not that cute, “sitcom” trouble.
From a gang putting out a hit on him to his best friend getting shot, the tension over Will’s safety is real, and Uncle Phil is, actually, quite, overtly loving and protective over him. Again, original Carlton, Geoffrey, and Uncle Phil were probably the only original I still felt really bound to because even Banks makes Will his character. Yet, I longed for James Avery’s towering, stern figure: knowing that, deep down, he adored will more than those hoagies he would devour. Moreover, I LOVE Alfonso Ribeiro’s sweetness and silliness as Carlton, while Joseph Marcell’s Geoffrey was deliciously snarky. Still, this is a “serious take,” and while Will kept his light-heartedness: most characters did not.
Coco Jones as Hillary is fierce, cool, and, yes, self-absorbed. Yet, the ditziness that made us laugh is gone, and, without it, she becomes more plainly…. a spoiled, rich girl. Still, Jones has such a presence, on screen, it is hard not to wish her version of Hillary had an actual IG she was always on to display her lavish lifestyle. Seeing that Ashley is 12, in this “dramatic version,” we do not really see much of her, and Aunt Viv is another rare figure; although her storyline as a frustrated painter pondering about returning to her artistic dreams will give Cassandra Freeman SO MUCH WEALTH TO UNPACK. Like Jones, they both add a flowery grace to a show that, again, is trying to be dark. Yet, I do not want to sound like I did not enjoy the show. If anything, it felt like a shock of newness.
Things like Uncle Phil being really tender with Will shook me, but Adrian Holmes will do that to people. He totally captures Phil’s core seriousness and protectiveness of his family, which allows for the show to remain, at its core, about a family that loves each other above all else. While getting used to that love will be different, Nick Copus’ direction is clear, and the storylines is addictive enough for a binge-watch. Just remember this is Bel-Air: not Fresh Prince.
