Image via HBO Max
Ever since The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—the vehicle that kickstarted Will Smith's Hollywood journey—hit HBO Max, you had to be ready for the cavalcade of Fresh Prince-related content. The series, which turned 30 back in September and is without a doubt one of the best Black sitcoms ever to hit television, not only has a dramatic reboot on the way, but a reunion special, featuring most of the principle cast, that's set to hit HBO Max on Thursday, November 19. We'd already seen the above shot earlier this year, but today Will Smith dropped the official trailer...and people are HYPE.
We're less than a week away from this Fresh Prince reunion. Since we don't have anything else to do and have been waiting for a moment like this for years, we hope that HBO Max and the cast will give us what we need from a good reunion special. What are the things we want to see? Glad you asked!
A mansion tour
Fun fact: the iconic exterior of the Banks' home is in Brentwood, while all interior shots were done in Los Angeles. That said, seeing the outside of this home, today, will be necessary, as will a tour of the inside. It looks like the sound stage Fresh Prince was filmed on was recreated and used for the reunion special, and it'd be ill if we could see the kitchen, or Will's room...hell, we'd take some shots of the pool house as well!
TV magic is what it is, and we know there aren't many sets that have a whole upstairs built in them, but show us that. The kids who grew up watching Fresh Prince in syndication will FLIP when they get that kind of behind-the-scenes access. Sure, that's extremely nerdy, but this show is bigger than the laughs. Folks were, and are, raised on it. If we can't be there, we should at least feel like we are.
The James Avery Tribute
James Avery, best known for playing the beloved Banks family patriarch Philip Banks—affectionated known as "Uncle Phil" to Will and the rest of America—passed away in 2013. Not having him around for this reunion special is hard, but it's awesome to see that we are going to be getting some discussion on what he meant to the show.
In the trailer, Will specifically talks about the scene where he had a blow-up after his father walked out on him yet again (#relatable). Those glimpses of how James showed love for Will's performance in the moment are what we want to see. We'll obviously have the cast talking about the man behind the scenes and his gifts, but we're hoping for something that'll show Avery's full scope. We are already prepared to be in our feelings; give us moments we'll need to have the Kleenex ready for.
Will's conversation with Janet Hubert
There's been a lot of beef between Will and Janet Hubert, who played Vivian Banks for three years on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air before a new Aunt Viv (Daphne Maxwell Reid) took over for the show's final three seasons. Their war of words had been going on for years; back in 1993, Will was quoted as saying that Hubert wanted the series to be "The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air," and their beef lasted all the way through 2011, when, after a reunion that she didn't attend, Hubert called Will an "asshole." With this beef stewing since Hubert's departure from the series, that picture dropping with the special's announcement was the biggest surprise of all.
The trailer doesn't confirm that the rest of the cast sits down with Janet and gets into everything, but we are getting that Will and Janet conversation. Will's in a different place than he was back then, and Janet at least had to have enough of a change of heart to agree to be on the show. Hopefully they end their feuding—at this point, we all need that closure. Still won't change fans' opinions on either Aunt Viv, but we'll know the cast members are good...or civil.
A real discussion on the show's impact
Because Fresh Prince is such a revered series, it may seem like people don't give it enough props for what it actually did. This was one of the few shows where hip-hop was prominent...and it did this on NBC, in prime time, with a Black family on MONDAY NIGHTS! The success of this show is bigger than whatever blockbusters Will Smith ended up being cast in; it helped Black people in the hip-hop generation see themselves as more than thugs or drug pushers or the like. The Banks were just a regular family.
That said, with this Black cast, living in this year in America, you can't avoid that conversation. Well, you can, but we'd prefer this reunion also spoke on the cultural importance of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, to show why we call it a top-tier Black sitcom. The special should display the series' legacy properly.
To be entertained
Let's make this a party. Seeing the tape day shenanigans, with the instruments and dancing, was awesome. With all of the Real Talk that this reunion special should contain, it should also keep the spirit of laughs and life alive. Be it through hilarious blooper reels, previously unheard stories, or just the wackiness that comes from having Alfonso Ribeiro and Will Smith in the room, we need that jolt of humor.
Are there funny stories about DJ Jazzy Jeff on set? The first time Alfonso busted out what's now known as the Carlton Dance? Who messed up their lines most? Embarrassing tape day stories? We will take all of those, please, with a side of The Story of Convincing Jazzy Jeff to Get Thrown Out of the Mansion. Tell us that tale.