Le prince de Bel-Air

It is already so long ago. Now Will Smith is the same age as uncle Phil was at the end of the show. And James Avery who portrayed Philip Banks is unfortunately dead. But the show itself hasn't lost it's humor and charm. I enjoyed it to the fullest rewatching it now, and actually watching it for the first time from beginning to the end.

While it was Will Smith who became the most famous after, I would say it were the other characters who made the show as wonderful as it is.

James Avery as uncle Phil was one of my favorites. It was amazing acting where he brought us both humor and emotions. I loved to see this man taking care of his nephew as his own son, help him to become a man and build such an amazing connection with him. This was all portrayed greatly. One of the reasons I would not want to see a reboot of this show is because it will never be the same without him. Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton was also delightful. So much great comedy with this extraordinary personality and his trademark dancing. Definitely unforgettable. Joseph Marcell was an amazing Geoffrey. All this wit and sarcasm made him one of the best on the show. Karyn Parsons was a great Hilary. She made this character who was very shallow and snobby also very likable. Those are the ones who gave me the most laughter. The rest were also great addition. Vivian and Ashley were just very ordinary people, but the acting was superb.

Pretty much every story is fun and original. Even the jokes that get repeated (Carlton's height, Phil's weight etc.) don't seem to be a problem and make it look repeatable. And watching Jazz being thrown out of the house was always great fun.

Part of me wishes there were more seasons, but I am also happy that it ended at it's peak so it was great from the beginning to the end. I would tell young people who were born too late and missed it to watch it, it is still hilarious.

Inner-city rap met upscale Beverly Hills society in this black sitcom. Philadelphia homeboy Will Smith was off to Beverly Hills to live with his rich, pretentious relatives the Banks. Only you had differences occur Will brought a little soul to the strict Beverly Hills mansion, only to be taught a few things by the Banks as well. The Banks family had the uncle of Will that was Philip (James Avery) a successful attorney who knew all about the problems a black man faced in a white society. The Banks had two daughters who I describe both as being just as sexy and beautiful as ever first the oldest and spoiled Hillary (Karyn Parsons) and the youngest the pretty Ashley (Tatyana Ali). The Banks family always had to deal with problems in life and had fun of it in the process. The theme song by Smith and partner Jeff Townes "Parents Just Don't Understand" said it all. You can now catch the reruns of the famous Will Smith on both cable channels TBS and WGN this popular black sitcom is still well enjoyed.

I grew up watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and still love it to this day. Everyone knows by now what it's about, it's about a street kid from Philadelphia that moves to Bel-Air to live with his rich Uncle, Aunt, cousins and their butler. I watched it so much that I still know every line of the theme song. Is a classic sitcom from the 90's. I even still watch it when it's on now. I know they just did a reboot of the series but you can't reboot a classic like this and expect it to even be half as good. The entire cast is hilarious which is led by a very young Will Smith. It's easily one of the best sitcoms from the 90's. It's one of those shows where you can watch it as much as you want and it's still funny. I'll always love this show!

OK, so I never watched this as a kid growing up. I was into manga, nickelodeon, Disney etc. However, now I am 25 i decided to go through all the TV shows I missed whilst growing up and this was one of them. Boy oh boy, I was not disappointed. Despite the last show being run over 20 years ago, this comedy is well worth the watch. Will Smith is obviously the star, but the performances by every single person in the Banks family was memorable. Some episodes were there just for the laughs, some were slower and some had serious learning reflections. The latter is what made this show stand out. Going from an episode that made me laugh to one with a serious message of gun control or racism sets this show apart from the majority of sitcoms. It was, well, a fresh experience.

One of the few gripes I had was that some of the jokes were repeated many, many times. It did start to grate on me when Will would say "You know what I'm sayyyyyiiinnnngggg?" in that characteristic tone. The other thing that slightly annoyed me was the re-casting of Vivian. I understand why it happened, but I just do not think the replacement was anywhere near as good.

Other than these minor points, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this show from S01E01 to S06E24. If you have not watched this show before, you should. If you have seen this show before, you probably should watch it again.

Of all the shows, I believe that "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is the one with which I can most identify with, since I have surely seen every single episode at least a dozen times - and yet it STILL never gets tired! I cannot get sick of this show, and it's making me a bit disturbed! Just what is it that makes this show so continually appealing, even around seven years since its final episode? I'm not sure...it's certainly not just one element. Every part of this show is magic: the wonderful acting from all involved; the witty (and often painfully hysterical) one-liners and banter between characters; the hip, cool atmosphere; the music...it all perfectly fits into what has to be one of the most remarkable and well-made sitcoms of the '90s.

I find myself shocked sometimes at the number of people who have totally forgotten about this show. Granted, it DID end in 1996, and obviously a lot has happened since then (most notably the skyrocketing music & film career of a certain lead star), but I mean, come on! This show is an undisputed classic! Who can forget the wild, crazy, and just plain amusing adventures we've had with Will Smith and the Banks family?

There were times when I was just addicted to this show, I remember...it was a while back when the episodes were running in syndication every evening on TBS SuperStation...I can't believe how this show can always manage to crack me up. It's incredible. I've grown to love all these characters so much, and even now, I still wouldn't pass up an opportunity to watch yet another priceless rerun.

I agree, though, that yes, a lot of the late, LATE episodes (around the second-last and final season) had their fair share of groans, and showed some glaring signs of tedium, but thankfully, the overwhelming positive qualities of the series tower over such minor flaws - including the mysterious re-casting of Aunt Vivian's role from Janet Hubert-Whitten to Daphne Maxwell Reid; the increasingly old-hat shtick of using the same stock footage whenever Jazz gets thrown out of the Banks residence for the umpteenth time; the cursed addition of a new cast member - little Nicky Banks (Ross Bagley), etc....

It's not an entirely perfect show, certainly (but then - what show is?), and it has had its fair share of ups and downs in its moderately impressive run of six years. However, when all is said and done, in the end, this show can proudly stand on its own as a pop culture treasure. It has evolved from what seemed initially to be an awkward, cheesy, quaint little '80s/'90s Cosby rip-off to a mature, slick, and fabulously written/produced/directed program. Pure gold is what this show is.

A truly underrated, and always entertaining, gem. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is one for the ages.