'Bel-Air' takes 'The Fresh Prince' down a dark path that's better than it has any right to be
CNN
Nobody asked for a dark, dramatic reimagining of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," which makes the new series fitting that description, "Bel-Air," better than it has any right to be. Premiering Super Bowl Sunday on NBC's streaming service Peacock, the opening episodes establish a catchy beat, with the main question being how long they can sustain it.
Inspired by a 2019 fan-made trailer that went viral (and whose creator, Morgan Cooper, is a director, producer and co-writer here), the series could easily have become a classic case of taking a three-minute gag too far. Yet the creative team under showrunners T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson blows up the opening credits of the original sitcom -- which explained how the character came to live with his wealthy relatives -- in a very clever way.
Will Smith (Jabari Banks) has a bright future, with a looming basketball scholarship that will take him out of Philadelphia and put him on a path to bigger and better things. But an encounter with a gang member goes wrong, and his hubris leads him to try settling matters on the playground, a plan that backfires in a dangerous manner.
Pete Davidson is leaning into his reputation.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is in his dad joke era.
Seth Rogen may be playing a high-powered Hollywood studio executive in his latest project, but he will never forget his roots.
Frankie Muniz may be returning to his “Malcolm in the Middle” character, but that doesn’t mean he likes him.
Kendrick Lamar may not have won a most valuable player trophy at the Super Bowl Sunday night, but perhaps he should have.
Kendrick Lamar promised he’d tell some stories and performed the song everyone has been talking about during the Super Bowl halftime show.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is still taking a victory lap that began last May. Here’s how a hard-hitting diss became a blockbuster of super proportions.
After some stops and starts, award season is again underway with the 2025 Critics Choice Awards. Acclaimed movies “Wicked” and “Conclave,” along with lauded TV series “Shōgun,” lead the pack of nominees.
Kendrick Lamar and Timothée Chalamet are not like us, but they do have some things in common with each other.
Dearly beloved, an eagerly-anticipated documentary about Prince has been canceled.
Zoe Saldaña isn’t letting the controversy surrounding her “Emilia Pérez” costar Karla Sofía Gascón’s offensive social media comments take the joy out of her experience being recognized in the Oscar race, but she says she still has a lot to process about it.
Laverne Cox is no stranger to being marginalized, but has found an interesting way to frame it.
At this point in pop culture, Kendrick Lamar may be the most celebrated hater of all time.