- POPSUGAR Australia
- Celebrity
- All the Nostalgic “French Prince” Nods in “Bel-Air”
All the Nostalgic “French Prince” Nods in “Bel-Air”
“Bel-Air” is a major departure from Will Smith’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The Peacock series – which stars Jabari Banks as Will, Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Aunt Viv, Olly Sholotan as Carlton, Coco Jones as Hilary, and Akira Akbar as Ashley – premiered on Feb. 13, with the first three episodes dropping at once. The reboot takes on a more serious tone as Will gets into a fight with a gang member, which ends up landing them both in jail. Luckily, Will is able to get out thanks to a bailout from Uncle Phil, but he still has a target on his back. As a result, Will is forced to leave Philly.
Although “Bel-Air” feels like a completely different series than the 1990s hit comedy, there are moments of nostalgia for the OG fans, like Smith being behind the theme song, Will’s mom, Vy (April Parker Jones), sending him to Bel-Air after “getting in one little fight,” and Will becoming friends with Jazz (Jordan L. Jones). Keep reading for all the different “Fresh Prince” Easter eggs in “Bel-Air.”
"Bel-Air" Episode 1: "Dreams and Nightmares"
- Will’s mom, Vy, tells her son he has all the makings of being a prince, he just needs to accept his crown. The affirmation is a nod to Will being “The Fresh Prince.”
- Will’s friend in Philly is named Tray (SteVonte Hart), a nod to Ice Tray (Don Cheadle) in the original series.
- Will tells Aunt Viv, “I got in one little fight and my mom got scared,” which is why he was sent to Bel-Air. The quote is from the original theme song to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” when Will says, “I got in one little fight and my mom got scared / She said, ‘You’re movin’ with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air.'”
- Will isn’t able to fit in at his first party in Bel-Air, a reference to how out of place he felt in the original.
- Hilary is a food influencer, despite her disastrous attempts to cook in “The Fresh Prince.”
"Bel-Air" Episode 3: "Yamacraw"
- Will flips his Bel-Air Academy jacket inside out after getting mustard spilled on him. In the original series, Smith’s Will did the same and continued to wear it like that throughout the show.
- Uncle Phil is running for LA District Attorney. In the original series, he runs for Superior Court Judge.
- Uncle Phil is still from Yamacraw, North Carolina.
- Carlton still hopes to get into Princeton University.
- Hilary dropped out of college, except this time it’s to pursue her cooking career.
- Carlton does cocaine (intentionally), a reference to an episode when the OG Carlton accidentally does speed found in Will’s locker.