Peacock has placed a two-season order for “Bel-Air,” a dramatic reboot of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” based on Morgan Cooper’s viral YouTube video.
“Fresh Prince” star Will Smith, who will produce the series, announced the news on Tuesday via his social media channels. Watch the video above.
Here’s the official description for the one-hour drama, which was put into development at Universal Television last month:
“Set in modern-day America, ‘Bel-Air’ is a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90’s sitcom ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ that leans into the original premise: 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.”
That plot is based on a four-minute spec trailer for a dark version of “Fresh Prince,” which Cooper wrote, directed and posted to YouTube in March 2019. The video, which currently has more than five million views, was seen by Smith, who thought it was a great take on the ’90s sitcom.
Cooper will direct, co-write and serve as co-executive producer on “Bel-Air,” alongside writer, showrunner and executive producer Chris Collins (“The Man in the High Castle,” “The Wire”). Additional executive producers include Smith, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina and Andy & Susan Borowitz.
Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal Television will produce the show.
“Fresh Prince” originally ran on NBC for six seasons between 1990-1996 and helped to catapult Smith to stardom. It also starred James Avery, Alphonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell and Janet Hubert.
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