The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air just turned 30 and such a milestone for one of television’s greatest ever sitcoms was always going to entice plenty of celebrations. Chief among them was the Fresh Prince’s main cast coming together for a reunion special, filmed this past September 10th, exactly the same date the show made its debut on NBC back in 1990.
There’s also news that Will Smith himself is producing a dramatic reboot of the Fresh Prince’s life, based on the famed YouTube video published by Morgan Cooper in 2019, titled Bel-Air. That last one is no surprise, given Cooper’s brilliant take on what would really happen if a troublesome young man from west Philadelphia moved to Bel-Air now sits at over 6 million views.
However, those not sold on Cooper and Smith’s Bel-Air project or just looking for some light-hearted Fresh Prince nostalgia after binging the whole series can now look forward to November 19 when The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion finally starts streaming on HBO Max.
The video opens up with Smith in his newfound YouTuber mode, joined by the rest of the cast comprised of Daphne Maxwell Reid (Vivian), Karyn Parsons (Hilary), Tatyana Ali (Ashley), Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton), Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey) and DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jazz) is set to appear. This trailer is packing some spice though, as it shows Janet Hubert making a surprise appearance.
Hubert played Vivian Banks, Smith’s aunt in the show, for 3 seasons until she was fired from the Fresh Prince after a falling out with the series’ star and even sat out recent social media events hosted by Smith. The other two cast members missing are Ross Bagley (Nicky Banks), who only appeared in the last 2 seasons; as well as the late James Avery, who passed away in 2013, and will definitely be given tons of love during the reunion special.
Just like the original Fresh Prince, the reunion special is bound to be a mix of funny moments and plenty of perfectly framed serious social commentary, after all that’s what made the show shine. Well, that and the fact that so many people know the lyrics to “Yo Home to Bel-Air".
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Reunion will be available for streaming on HBO Max starting November 19.
Source: Will Smith|YouTube