Bel-Air: Fresh Prince fans divided over first trailer for ‘dark, edgy reboot’ of beloved 1990s sitcom

The first trailer for the forthcoming Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot has prompted a divisive reaction from fans of the original.

Unlike the beloved Nineties TV show, which took the form of a multi-camera sitcom, the new reboot, entitled Bel-Air, is more strictly dramatic.

Will Smith, who starred in Fresh Prince as a fictionalised version of himself, is involved in Bel-Air as a developer and executive producer, but the role of Will will be played by Jabari Banks.

Fans have shared their thoughts about the project following the trailer’s release, with some people expressing apprehension about the drastic tonal and stylistic changes.

“The Bel-Air reboot looks really, really bad,” wrote one Twitter user. “Like, if you muted the trailer, you would have absolutely no idea what it’s based on. It comes across like a Fresh Prince reboot afraid of people remembering that it’s a Fresh Prince reboot.”

Another claimed that Bel-Air looked to be “taking away what everyone liked about Fresh Prince”.

“Taking a beloved, lighthearted, comedy from the 90s and making it a DARK EDGY REBOOT is the most 2020s thing they could’ve done,” suggested someone else. “Look, Fresh Prince dealt with some heavier material from time to time, but at its core it was just about family. IDK what this is supposed to be.”

Others, however, were more positive, with one person writing: “I like that they made Fresh Prince a drama. The material was there tbh.”

“This looks good,” wrote someone else. “I respect a reboot that goes a diff direction, because with a series as great as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air that’s still accessible to view. It would make no sense to just do it again.”

Bel-Air was inspired by a fan-made short film of the same name by Morgan Cooper, who is developing the series alongside Smith. It is streaming in February on Peacock on Sky/ NOW.