The internet had a lot to say when the first trailer for Peacock’s Bel-Air dropped online earlier this month. As produced by Will Smith himself, through his Westbrook Studios label, the Peacock original series is a gritty imagining of beloved 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that offers an updated take on a streetwise kid from Philly relocating to the eponymous swanky Los Angeles neighborhood.
And in this latest teaser for the show (which you can catch above), we get a little more background on how Will’s life got flipped-turned upside down in the first place. Remember how Smith’s Will “got in one little fight and [his] mom got scared,” so she packed him off to Bel-Air? Well, in this version, Will’s mother’s fear is a lot more warranted.
Just as the classic theme tune tells us, Will’s still “shootin’ some b-ball” when some guys who are up to no good start making trouble, but in 2022’s Bel-Air, his confrontation with them is a much bigger incident that almost leads to Will getting shot. “You could’ve been killed, you know that, right?” Will’s stricken mom tells him, as she drives him to the airport and drops the bombshell on him, that he’s moving west to live with his rich aunt and uncle.
The teaser then offers glimpses of the show’s reimagined cast of characters. Joining Jabari Banks’ Will is Cassandra Freeman as Aunt Viv, Olly Sholotan as a cool cousin Carlton, Coco Jones as Hilary, Akira Akbar as Ashley, Jimmy Akingbola as a much more intimidating Geoffrey, and Adrian Holmes as a surprisingly svelte Uncle Phil.
Bel-Air premieres with its first three episodes on Feb. 13 — aka Super Bowl Sunday. Peacock must have a lot of faith in the series as a second season has already been ordered.
