Fresh Prince fans react after Will Smiths upbeat series gets dramatic makeover in Bel-Air – Daily Mail

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans are split when it comes to whether or not they’ll be tuning in for the gritty, dramatic reboot Bel-Air.

Twitter was alight early this week with reactions to the first full trailer of the Will Smith backed projects after it was released by Peacock on Monday.

Many die hard Fresh Prince watchers expressed their confusion as to why anyone would ever revive the iconic franchise, while others were excited to see how the concept would be ‘flipped- turned upside down’.

‘Only need to know about its existence: Anybody who liked Fresh Prince of Bel-Air should skip this,’ one fan penned in a scathing tweet. ‘These reboots that nobody asks for NEVER live up to the original and usually only make original fans mad. Never seen original? Check it out if u want. But don’t judge OG by it.’

Another reacted to the trailer which introduced the new Banks family: ‘Fresh Prince reboot looks shocking, and acting looks even worse xoxox’

Many others couldn’t figure out why any studio would want to bother messing with the original. 

One person wrote, ‘fresh prince doesn’t need a reboot’ while another concurred, ‘who asked for a gritty reboot of fresh prince. i just wanna talk.’  

NBC dropped the first full trailer for the dramatic re-telling of the beloved television comedy on Monday which sees Jabari Banks take on the lead role as fish-out-of-water West Philadelphia teen Will Smith.   

Like the early 90s comedy, the trailer for Bel-Air sees Will Smith’s reintroduction to his wealthy relatives after he is sent to live with them in an exclusive enclave of one-percenters following a scuffle with the law. 

‘The fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot trailer look so interesting,’ wrote one positive reviewer. ‘Can’t wait’

While others agreed: ‘Really interested to see this reboot of Fresh Prince’ and ‘I can’t wait to see that fresh Prince reboot’  

The trailer marks the first time audiences get to see the revamped Banks family as Will arrives to his new ‘kingdom’. 

He’s greeted at the front door of a palatial Bel-Air estate by Geoffrey, the insanely handsome ‘house manager’. 

This Geoffrey, played by Jimmy Akingbola, is younger and far more muscled than the original character but still exudes the same high-brow aloofness as Joseph Marcell.

Viewers got a brief look at the new Aunt Viv and cousins Hilary and Ashley but much of the short trailer focused on Will’s interactions with cousin Carlton and Uncle Phil, as well as his best friend Jazz.

‘This town will try to make you forget who you are and where you came from,’ Jazz tells Will. ‘Don’t let it do that.’

After a quick high-end make over by Hilary, Will excitedly runs over to his uncle at a backyard soiree and his frosty greeting invariably sets the tone of the rocky relationship ahead.

Carlton [Olly Sholotan], who Will also sees at the party, appears just as pretentious as his comedy counterpart played by Alfonso Ribeiro but will less affable warmth.

‘I hope one day we can talk about why you’re really here,’ Carlton says to Will with a smile that clearly doesn’t meet his eyes.

The ‘scuffle’ from the opening credits of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has been reworked to create the jumping off point for the reboot. 

Rather than a harmless basketball court brawl, Bel-Air’s Smith pulls out a gun during the melee and ends up with a target on his back from a gang member. 

‘Here’s the story: You came to Bel-Air for a better education, simple,’ Uncle Phil [Adrian Holmes] informs Will. ‘Be patient, give this a real chance. 

Holmes’ portrayal of Uncle Phil is, like Carlton, devoid of that warmth from the sitcom and replaced with a hard edge. And, unlike the portly, beloved James Avery, the actor is fit and suave.

Will’s struggle to acclimatize to the ways of Bel-Air is made evident in the trailer as he tries to ‘rep West Philly’ despite urgings from Carlton to follow his lead. 

‘What the hell is my life?’ Will asks himself.

Before Thanksgiving, Peacock dropped the first teaser for the dramatic reboot with the actual Will Smith, 53, providing a somber narration with some of the original lyrics to the Fresh Prince theme song.  

According to the official synopsis, the one-hour drama will be set in modern times and explore ‘Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.’

‘With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show,’ it reads. 

The original Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air ran from 1990 to 1996 and co-starred James Avery, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro and DJ Jazzy Jeff.  

Peacock will stream the first three episodes of Bel-Air on Super Bowl Sunday, February 13.

Bel-Air is streaming in February on Peacock on Sky/NOW