Influence goes both ways.
Original title
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Released
9/10/1990
Origin country
US
Genre
Comedy, Family
Production companies
Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment, NBC Productions, The Stuffed Dog Company
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
6
Number of episodes
148
Will, a street-smart teenager, moves from the tough streets of West Philly to posh Bel-Air to live with his Uncle Philip, Aunt Vivian, his cousins — spoiled Hilary, preppy Carlton and young Ashley — and their sophisticated British butler, Geoffrey. Though Will’s antics and upbringing contrast greatly with the upper-class lifestyle of his extended relatives, he soon finds himself right at home as a loved part of the family.
Special extra features included on the DVD release.
A retrospective documentary. Season 01 DVD extra; A Fresh Look with the Stars and Creative Team.
A compilation of the best bits and recurring gags from the 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Included with Season 2 of the series on the DVD release.
Bloopers from 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'. Included with the Season 2 DVD release.
Trivia and Behind the Scenes facts on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". Included on the Season 3 DVD release.
Bloopers from 'The Fresh Prince of Be-Air'. Included on the Season 3 DVD release.
30 years later, we're bringing the Banks family back together. Join Will Smith and his former co-stars for a funny and heartfelt night full of music and dancing in honor of the show that ran for six seasons and 148 episodes.
Will Smith is revealed to be a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia, who is sent to live with his wealthy relatives at their Bel Air, Los Angeles mansion. His relatives include Phillip Banks, Will's strict and gruff uncle, and Vivian Banks, Will's no-nonsense, forthright, and career-minded aunt. Other members of the Banks family include Carlton Banks, Will's preppy and arrogant cousin, Hilary Banks, Will's attractive but dumb, eldest cousin, Ashley Banks, Will's youngest cousin, and Geoffrey, the family's cynical English Butler. Will's lifestyle often clashes with that of his relatives there, and frequently got him or other members of the family into trouble as well.
Aunt Vivian tries to mediate between her husband Philip and the newly arrived Will.
Will persuades Ashley to pawn her violin for a drum set.
Will wants to go out with a beautiful girl he meets at the country club, but first he must figure out how to impress her extremely snobbish and very protective father so he seeks tips from cousin Carlton on becoming preppie.
Will tries to smooth things between Philip and his very rural parents when they visit to see him receive an award.
Will gets a visit from an old pal named Ice Tray, who, to Vivian and Philip's dismay, warms up to Hilary.
Jailed, Will and Carlton stage a media stunt.
Will joins his prep school's poetry club.
Carlton and Will, babe magnets. Who will be first to get a date for Hilary's Halloween party?
Carlton and Will, babe magnets. Who will be first to get a date for Hilary's Halloween party?
Happy birthday Geoffrey! For a gift, Will tries matchmaking, then falls for Geoffrey's date himself.
Carlton feels overshadowed by Will, who's become a basketball star at school.
A holiday visit from Will's taskmaster mother puts the kibosh on conspicuous consumption and puts the kids to work preparing Thanksgiving dinner.
Hilary becomes Will's personal maid when he threatens to disclose she's dropped out of UCLA.
Will tells Ashley's slumber party guests a scary tale about his first day at Bel-Air Academy.
Will inimitably dresses the mansion for the holidays, to the dismay of the neighbors, including heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield.
Philip may lose a superstitious client whom he advises not to make decisions based on Will's spontaneous remarks.
Will proposes a black history class be instituted at Bel-Air Academy, and gets a surprise when Aunt Viv arrives to teach it.
Will sneaks Philip's elderly mother out of the house for a night on the town.
Will has girl problems after a date with Jazz's domineering sister, who's ready to pick out a china pattern before the night is over.
Fresh Prince Will is on his best behavior for visiting royalty - the seemingly demure Lady Penelope, who Will hopes to persuade to let herself have a good time at a party.
Jasmine Guy plays a scholarship student whose introduction to Will opens up a different world of fun and games - and romance - to divert her from her studies.
Will crawls to Philip for help after sneaking out on the town and getting hustled by sleazy pool sharks.
Will challenges Carlton to spend time in a tough neighborhood, trying to survive by masquerading as a financial consultant.
R&B singer Tevin Campbell plays teen idol Little T, who surprises Ashley on her birthday with a special song and an invitation for a date.
Rap's Queen Latifah plays Hilary's new actress boss, who wants Will as her boy toy - or Hilary's glamorous job is over.
The prince is back and fresher than ever! In the second season of this inspiring comedy, as the Banks family continues to adjust to Will living with them in Bel-Air, they find themselves questioning how they live in the process. Meanwhile, Will’s fear of becoming like his uptight Uncle Philip and his preppy cousin Carlton prompts him to take drastic action to make sure this doesn’t happen. Race relations become a hot topic in the Banks household when Will’s mother, Vy (guest star Vernee Watson-Johnson, Southland; Sister, Sister), has trouble accepting that her sister Janice (guest star Charlayne Woodard, ER) is marrying a Caucasian man. And Philip and Vivian’s past returns with open arms when a Sixties radical is invited into their home. Hilarity and heart combine in the second season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Guest stars this season include Nicholle Tom (The Nanny), Allen Payne (House of Payne) and members of New Edition Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe.
Will's all-consuming romance with a new girlfriend shakes up the Banks' household, as does Mother Nature, trapping them together during an earthquake.
Will and Carlton arrive as reinforcements when a bully challenges Ashley to a rumble, but there's real trouble when Philip and Vivian intervene.
Will tries to juggle school and a new job in order to earn money for the homecoming party, at the same time Ashley's classmate Tina becomes interested in Carlton. Will starts becoming paranoid when he constantly is getting confused with Carlton.
Will is a picture of confidence, while Carlton is a frazzled bundle of nerves preparing for college aptitude tests.
Mortified over spying his mother kiss the handyman, Philip can't bear to think of her having a new man in her life.
Tensions spill over just before the wedding of Will's Aunt Janice when Will's mom meets Janice's intended - and forbids Will to attend the interracial wedding.
Vivian's 40th birthday marks a crisis and a career change in which she plans to perfect her dance skills.
Will hits it off with the full-figured Dee Dee, but her size keeps him from asking her to the dance.
A pompous lawyer who's dating Hilary is no fan of Will's after he's sideswiped by Will's roadster.
Will and Carlton think a party guest stole the silverware.
Bell Biv DeVoe shoots a video at the Bankses, courtesy of Carlton, who rents the house while his parents are away.
After winning at the country club's Monte Carlo night fund-raiser, Will learns that he's expected to donate the money to charity.
On a family ski trip, the Banks find that they must come up with Christmas gifts from the heart after their belongings are stolen.
Hilary must work for a caterer after her credit cards are cancelled.
On the basketball court, winning is everything to Will, as it is to an opponent from Malibu Prep, who can't afford to lose.
Geoffrey falls hard for a neighbor he believes is a housekeeper - but who turns out to be very wealthy.
When Hillary is ordered to do community service at a free clinic, the doctor in charge becomes the antidote for her marriage-mindedness.
The family fears a steamy exposé when Geoffrey begins his memoirs, while Will fears the scalpel when he enters the hospital, kicking and screaming, for a tonsillectomy.
Needing a game show partner, Will must choose between bickering friends.
Philip and Vivian welcome a '60s radical, who arouses the FBI's interest and influences Will and Carlton to take action over the firing of a nonconformist teacher.
Will dislikes his mother's new boyfriend.
Aunt Helen arrives unexpectedly, and upsets Will and Carlton's plans for a rendezvous with two French women.
Ashley cringes when the family oohs and aahs over her relationship with Kevin , but Will chokes when she asks him about sex - and her curiosity about reproduction sends Will to a pregnancy counseling center.
Will and Carlton lose their shirts investing on a tip - then take jobs as strippers to recoup their losses and get Vivian's bracelet out of hock.
Season three of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air finds Will (Will Smith) firmly entrenched in the Banks family, having traded his rough-and-tumble Philadelphia youth for posh surroundings in Bel-Air. This year, Will hip-hops over to the same prep school as Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) and starts scoping out colleges. While Will tries to work his mojo on reluctant Monique (Kim Fields, Living Single), Hilary (Karyn Parsons) breaks into show business and learns some hard lessons. But the kids aren’t the only ones riding life’s highs and lows. Philip (James Avery) jumps into the race for superior court judge, opposing his sleazy but powerful former mentor (Sherman Hemsley, The Jeffersons). And Vivian (Janet Hubert-Whitten) surprises everyone by announcing that she’s pregnant! Also appearing in this hilarious and poignant season are Oprah Winfrey, Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), comic D.L. Hughley, singer Tom Jones and boxer Riddick Bowe. All 24 episodes are fresh — and ready for your enjoyment.
Will returns home from spending the summer in Philadelphia with a new look that doesn't sit well with Uncle Phil.
When the Banks family returns to its former neighborhood to help old friends after a destructive city-wide riot, Vivian reveals a surprise to Philip.
Enrolled at the newly coed Bel-Air Prep, Ashley begins dressing to entice guys, using Will's preferences in women as her examples.
Hilary gets a job reporting weather on television.
Carlton prepares for a dinner date with his former girlfriend, Cindy (Lark Voorhees), forgiving her for rejecting him several months earlier, but when she arrives with a newborn baby named Carlton Jr., the entire Banks family is stunned.
While Philip entertains rude, senile Judge Robertson, Will accepts expensive gifts from Lindsey Simon, a rich classmate who wants to buy his affection.
Will gets arrested for numerous parking tickets as Phil runs for judge against incumbent Judge Robertson.
Philip takes Will and Carlton on a camping trip that turns out to be a disaster when snow traps the unhappy campers.
The Bankses appear on Oprah's show and fail to invite Will on-stage, which may cause Philip to lose the election.
Election results are in and Philip fights to remain cool amid lies by Judge Robertson, which prompt Will to confront the outspoken incumbent. Will Will go to far? Will he say what everyone is feeling? Will Judge Robertson be able to take it?
At Vivian's Lamaze class, Will cozies up to a pregnant sportswriter, who takes him to a game - and delivers more than just fun.
When Vivian quarantines Will and Carlton in the backyard pool house after both are stricken with contagious colds, they spend the night arguing over a girl that Will stole from Carlton.
Will tries to tell his mother that he doesn't want to return to Philadelphia with her after his high school graduation.
Geoffrey humiliates himself by insulting the Banks family and quitting his job when Will and Carlton trick him into thinking he has won millions of dollars in the lottery.
Philip is quick to judge an ex-con Will urged him to hire as a handyman and temporary assistant after the house is robbed.
As Vivian's delivery date approaches, the family fantasizes about what the baby will mean to each of them: Ashley feels all but invisible, Geoffrey feels overwhelmed by the family's demands, and Vivian feels like she's having triplets.
When Monique refuses to have sex until she's married, Will stages a mock wedding ceremony with D.J. Jazzy Jeff as the preacher.
Depressed and suicidal over having ruined his chances of attending Princeton University, Carlton is visited by his Guardian Angel, who shows him how awful the Banks family would be if he weren't alive.
Will learns a sobering lesson after Carlton pops the wrong pills from Will's locker, mistaking amphetamines for vitamins, and winds up in hospital.
Vivian's baby is a week late, but family members and her visiting sisters are nowhere to be found when it's time to rush to the hospital.
Heavyweight boxing champ Riddick Brown wreaks havoc with Carlton's mind and Will's face at a funky cafe-casino in Nevada, where the cousins have stopped on their way to check out a college for Will.
Will lands a spot in a comedy showcase after accompanying a comic friend to an audition.
Series clips illustrate family recollections as the kids put together a scrapbook for Vivian and Philip, who want to renew their vows on their anniversary.
Vy anticipates Will's graduation with enthusiasm, but there may be discord when she learns Will is failing music. To pass his music class, Will must sing at the graduation ceremony - with a class of eight-year-olds.
Charming and cocky Will continues his reign as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the fourth fast-paced season of this hit family comedy with heart. Will (Will Smith) and Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) are living large at college — even though they live in their family’s pool house. When they’re not hunting the honeys, like the superhot Jackie (Tyra Banks), the boys pledge a fraternity, where Will finds out that racism cuts both ways. At home, Will sneaks the dieting Philip (James Avery) some snacks, not realizing he’s endangering his uncle’s life. And Ashley (Tatyana Ali) breaks out of her childhood shell in a big way by undergoing an extremely sexy makeover, exploring the dating world and demanding some “Respect” from her parents by belting out the classic song. Donald Trump, Hugh Hefner, Dick Clark, Ben Vereen (Roots), Robert Guillaume (Benson), Pam Grier (Jackie Brown), jazzman Branford Marsalis and Boys II Men guest star in this laugh-filled 26-episode season of the freshest show around.
Will and Carlton begin their first year of college by moving into their own apartment, while Philip and Vivian enjoy their newborn son. Hilary learns that Trevor plans to propose marriage to her during an elaborate stunt on his TV news show.
Will and Carlton begin their first year of college by moving into their own apartment, while Philip and Vivian enjoy their newborn son. Hilary learns that Trevor plans to propose marriage to her during an elaborate stunt on his TV news show.
Registration day finds Will signing up for no-brainer classes, plus one that might truly challenge him - a philosophy course he takes to meet a girl.
Stuck with caring for Nicky for the day, Will soon discovers the benefits of baby-sitting: he's suddenly a big man on campus with the women so long as he poses as a single dad.
After Will's friends guys rib Carlton about being a virgin, Miss Right appears and sweeps Carlton off his feet. Elsewhere, Geoffrey confesses a secret of his own.
When Phillip sues Will and Carlton for unpaid rent, two different versions of the dispute are aired - neither entirely truthful.
Will disses a seance - until the spiritualist zaps him with a hex that (uh-oh) seems to work.
A bro with dough? Carlton's upper-class upbringing may make him unwelcome at a black fraternity.
Will breaks a date with Jackie to accompany Hilary to a Playboy Mansion reception for weather reporters being photographed for the magazine.
Will sneaks greasy, high-fat foods to Philip after he promises to diet and exercise, then blames himself when Philip has a heart attack.
On academic probation, Will schemes to improve his grades by fixing up a newly divorced English professor with Hilary, who soon finds fault with the man, further jeopardizing Will's academic future.
Will uses booze to prove his manliness while competing with a hulking football hero who wants to score points with Jackie, and his fraternity brothers leave drunken Will in a cemetery, where he is haunted. Meanwhile, Ashley learns that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Vivian promises god-motherhood of her child to both of her sisters, while Will hatches a harebrained scheme to get Boyz II Men to perform at baby Nicky's christening.
Will pays for putting off studying for a midterm until the last minute, and Ashley pays for staying out late on her first date.
Carlton in charge. Will gets his feathers ruffled when his cousin becomes his boss at the Peacock Stop.
Bird is the word when Carlton, ULA's peacock mascot, is kidnapped by a rival school before the big game.
Will becomes a jet-setter while dating a pop star.
A Valentine's double date finds Will treating Ashley like a kid and Ashley demanding r-e-s-p-e-c-t.
A car dealer hires Will, then persuades him to drop out of college.
Jazz's bride has a couple of teensy character flaws: She's a convict. And she puts the moves on Will.
Will finds himself stranded in a mountain forest with his new girlfriend's disagreeable father after they parachute out of his disabled plane.
It's double trouble for Will when Philip's old flame visits with her daughter, who's attracted to Will.
Say, homie, could you do me a favor? Just-married Jazz makes a surprising request of Will.
Ben Vereen plays Will's long-lost father, who breezes into town and promises Will the moon, which angers an unforgiving Philip.
A stranger makes a generous offer for the Banks estate, which prompts the family to reminisce about their good times there.
Will returns to the City of Brotherly Love and discovers he's the butt of old friends' jokes, prompting him to go into training to settle an old score and clear his reputation as a chicken.
Will meets Lisa — and before you can say “Go slow, bro,” he’s in love, engaged, and standing before the minister with 50 pounds of iced shrimp melting in the banquet hall. All that romance must be contagious, because Carlton finds his soul sister through online dating. Unfortunately, that’s only half right. It’s Hilary. And there’s a lot more than love going on as Will grapples with a big orange whale, a mobster, a bear, Jay Leno, Lisa’s cantankerous dad, and in one of the series’ most memorable episodes, a bullet with his name on it. Get ready for laugh-out-loud fun!
Will revels in Ashley's music industry success, but both Will and Ashley are about to have a rude surprise.
Will helps Ashley make a big impression on a recording executive, but Philip is adamantly against her pursuing a singing career.
Will loses points as a role model for Nicky while visiting an ever-positive kiddie hero who brings joy to youngsters - but not to Will.
War breaks out when the girl Will likes plants a big one on Carlton.
Will tells a tall tale about seeing a mob killing, then being placed in a witness-protection program in the backwoods of Alabama.
The Banks hate the ugly golf shirts Hilary gives them - until they see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wearing the same design.
To help Ashley out of a jam at school, Will poses as her father. Oh yeah, this is gonna work.
At a Soul Train reunion, middle-aged Philip feels like his train has left the station.
Lisa humiliates Will by knocking out a guy with her self-defense moves.
Will tries his hand at journalism to prove something to Lisa, but his efforts get him sued for libel - by Jay Leno.
To understand Philip's battle with the scale, Will dons a fat suit and gets a big fat lesson in empathy.
Will works so hard to impress Lisa's dad that he spends all his free time with his new best buddy.
Will gets roped into a weekend ski trip with Carlton that quickly turns to disaster when their party arrives; meanwhile, back home, Hilary prepares to leave the nest.
The party's over. Will and Lisa tell each other lies so they can sneak off to the (uh-oh) same party.
A planned camping trip is cut short for Carlton and Will when a robber approaches them at an automated bank-teller machine - and fires a gun.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Will pops the question from his hospital room. And Lisa's answer is...
Thanks to relationship counseling, Will and Lisa hop to move on up to a new understanding in preparation for marriage. Meanwhile Hillary wants Geoffrey to work at her new home.
Shafted! The engaged couple opts for flashy Vegas vows, complete with costumes. The tasteful theme: Shaft.
Will vows Philip with his sound investment advice to buy Jazz's apartment building - but the tenants scream slumlord after Philip acts on Will's moneymaking tip.
Will inadvertently finds himself in the right place at the right time and lands a part in a daytime soap opera.
Put into a trance by a stage hypnotist, Will behaves like a 4-year-old just as the family gears up for an interview with the admissions head of a private school.
A dream job for Will with a businessman friend of Philip's turns into a nightmare when the man offers him a bonus to help bribe a councilman.
Dinner date. The Banks host a gorgeous girl from Philly who tries to lure Will away from Lisa.
Stuck and out of luck, Will spends his bachelor party trapped in an elevator with a feuding Carlton and Jazz.
Husband-to-be Will has the bride, the ring, the date...and second thoughts about the whole idea.
After Will becomes Hilary's talent coordinator, her show goes national and she is lured to New York, where Ashley hopes to model. When Philip presides over a high-profile Hollywood case, his ambition almost ruins his marriage.
While Carlton is away at a Young Republican camp, Will cooks up a flambe of a disaster on a night when an influential judge is coming to dinner, and Will can only make it through the night with the help of Geoffrey, and other plan is not to make Phil find out.
In competition with Carlton, Will sets out to prove he's the best man for the job on Hilary's TV show by escorting a famous comedian's sister out on the town.
After learning a little something about initiative, Will jumps to Hilary's aid prior to a key business meeting at the station, meanwhile an unemployed Carlton subs for Philip on career day at Ashley's school.
The thrill is gone for "runaway yuppie" Carlton, who can't handle another disappointment, let alone his long-awaited Princeton interview.
Will decides to book a juror dismissed from Philip's big show-biz madam sex-scandal case for Hilary's show, which results in embarrassment for Judge Banks and some annoying apologies from Will and Hilary.
Will and Carlton's double date ends unromantically when a big bruiser shows up looking for his squeeze.
Freakin' out! On the home intercom, Will and Carlton overhear Ashley talking about sex.
Carlton is on a roll in Vegas, celebrating his birthday at the gaming tables with Will in tow but suddenly the tables turn, and the duo enter a dance contest to recoup their losses.
Hilary and Carlton volunteer at a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving, while the extended family fills up on holiday treats.
Will and Philip are arrested at a massage parlor on Thanksgiving. Hilary and Carlton get a lesson in humility at the homeless shelter.
Hilary's show has its national premiere. What more could she possibly want? How about a baby?
Will's pride is on the ropes when a gorgeous boxing instructor KOs him at the gym.
It's no laughing matter when a bomb-toting clown holds Philip hostage in the courtroom on the day of the showbiz madam's sentencing.
Ka-boooom! That explosion you hear is Philip and Vivian's marriage after Philip decides to go into politics.
Breaking up may not be so hard to do for an angry Vivian, but when Philip finds he's lost without her, Will and Carlton conspire to reunite them.
After being accepted at Princeton, a worried Carlton changes his life plans and retreats to a place where everybody knows his name - the bowling alley.
Geoffrey's life changes overnight when a man claiming to be his long-lost son shows up and charms everyone - except Will, who discovers the guy's not what he seems. Meanwhile, Hilary starts writing her autobiography, and an early childhood photo reveals a shocking secret.
The church's widowed reverend is a man of esteemed reputation, but not in the eyes of Will - who spies him making a play for Aunt Vivian.
Dick Clark has a cameo on this backstage outing that has Will Smith visiting with series stars and screening series bloopers.
Philip expects Ashley to decline an offer for what he considers a degrading role in an ad by a director who could also give her a recommendation to a top New York school.
On Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Hilary subs for Gifford but doesn't see eye-to-eye with co-host Philbin. Meanwhile, Will subs for Carlton in a golf tourney and gets buddy-buddy with Philip, making Carlton jealous.
William Shatner stars as Hilary's talk-show guest, but Will must find a way to beam him from the dentist's chair to the set. Meanwhile, Hilary's show treks to New York and Ashley insists on tagging along.
The mansion's for sale and everybody's in the fast lane... except Will, who's stuck on life's soft shoulder.
The Banks move out. The Jeffersons are about to move in. And Will turns out the lights.
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