Le prince de Bel-Air

A++

Starring: Will Smith, James Avery, and Alfonso Ribeiro.

A boy born and raised in the inner city of Philidelphia is sent by his mother to live with a much richer family, the Banks, in Bel-Air. Will's transition from 'inner-city boy' to 'rich boy' is wonderful. The characters always make me laugh. The characters developments are excellent, especially Carlton's. He's hysterical as the 'geeky' type. If you want to watch any show on TV, you better watch this.

Rank: 1st

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.

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.

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.

If you grew up in the 90's then you were a fan of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air! Even if you didn't, you are still probably a fan because it's just a flat out funny show. This is where Will Smith started his career, no one knew at the time he would become the actor he is today but most saw a bright future. Now, he lost his mind at the Oscars when he slapped Chris Rock and he will always be remembered for that but that still doesn't take away from the fact that he's had a great career and this was the start. I still laugh when I watch the reruns on tv just as much as I did when I was a kid watching it.