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This isn’t Will Smith’s Bel-Air.
Peacock has released the first full-length trailer for its upcoming dramatic take on the beloved Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The nearly three-minute clip offers the first actual footage from the series after the NBCUniversal-backed streamer previously debuted a stylish take on the comedy’s original theme song.
Inspired by Morgan Cooper’s viral video, Peacock landed the dramatic reboot in September 2020 with a two-season order after a fierce bidding war with Netflix and HBO Max. The series was originally designed to premiere last year, but creative challenges led to not one but two showrunner changes.
Original showrunner Chris Collins (The Wire) departed in December 2020 and was replaced last year by Diane Houston (Empire), who also exited the drama. Writing duo T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson (The Chi, The 100) were tapped in August as Bel-Air’s third showrunners, the first time in the position for either. The pair was brought in under Houston and exec producer Malcolm Spellman. The latter — who served as head writer on Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier for Disney+ — boarded Bel-Air alongside Houston last year and remains as an exec producer alongside Brady and Newson.
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Exec producers on the series also include Smith, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and original series creators Andy and Susan Borowitz. Sources at the time of the creative changes noted that Peacock was looking for a broad-skewing network-style show, while Collins wanted to deliver an edgy, premium series. It’s unclear what Houston’s vision was for the series, which had undergone some rewrites.
Here’s how Peacock describes the show: “Set in modern-day America, Peacock’s new one-hour drama series Bel-Air imagines the beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air through a new, dramatic take on Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. As these two worlds collide, Will reckons with the power of second chances while navigating the conflicts, emotions, and biases of a world far different from the only one he’s ever known.”
Newcomer Jabari Banks stars as Will. The cast includes Adrian Holmes (Phillip), Cassandra Freeman (Vivian), Olly Sholotan (Carlton), Coco Jones (Hilary), Akira Akbar (Ashley), Jimmy Akingbola (Geoffrey), Jordan L. Jones (Jazz) and Simone Joy Jones (Lisa).
The series will premiere on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 13, with its first three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly. The game will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
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