The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air could be coming back to life as a brand new sitcom!
TVLine reports that the popular 90s sitcom, which starred Will Smith in his breakthrough acting role, is joining the growing list of other revived television series.
According to the report, Will Smith is actually involved in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot.
Exclusive: #FreshPrince Reboot in Development, w/ Will Smith as Producer http://t.co/7QshHzBHKp pic.twitter.com/qpZ9BRpJ40
— Michael Slezak (@MichaelSlezakTV) August 13, 2015
However, fans should not expect the Oscar-nominated actor to reprise his iconic TV role. He is reportedly working solely behind the scenes as a producer, along with his Overbrook Entertainment production partners — Jada Pinkett-Smith, Caleeb Pinkett, and James Lassiter. The report further states that the Fresh Prince reboot will essentially feature a little bit of old with a little bit of new when it comes to the overall concept of the show.
“Overbrook Entertainment is in the very early stages of developing a present-day Fresh Prince reboot that puts a new spin on the fish-out-of-water tale while maintaining the spirit of the original series. (An official longline is still being hammered out.).”
The original run of the The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air made its debut on September 10, 1990 — nearly 25 years ago. Six seasons later, the Andy and Susan Borowitz-created sitcom aired its emotionally-stirring series finale on May 20, 1996.
#TBT to the series finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air when Will rocked the Columbia 11s. Remember watching it? pic.twitter.com/1ZulerWs4w — Shiekh Shoes (@ShiekhShoes) December 19, 2014
The series finale of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on @MTV got me like… pic.twitter.com/Dssupo04gY
— Q. (@ToxsicDream) March 13, 2015
Fresh Prince series finale gets me every time — J. Slice (@JamesAAHH) July 24, 2015
However, the 148 episodes that aired during that six-year timeline apparently made a lasting impact on viewers, fans, and critics alike.
Nearly twenty years after the airing of the series finale, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air still continues to resonate through pop culture thanks to syndicated reruns, viral memes, and memorable trademarks from the show, such as the “Carlton Dance.”
‘Fresh Prince’ turns 25: See Alfonso Ribeiro’s best ‘Carlton’ dance moves http://t.co/CO1qtRKQTZ pic.twitter.com/IF5V9xeSl1
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 7, 2015
The biggest box-office star that emerged from the Fresh Prince set was Will Smith. However, the hit NBC series shined a spotlight on many other actors and actresses — including Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, and the late James Avery.
On the list of the 20 best theme songs in TV history, CBS News ranked The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme in the No. 4 spot directly under another popular NBC sitcom with a massive following, Friends .
[Image Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images]
