Fresh Prince reboot ensures that HBO Max will continue to milk nostalgia

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Now, this is a story all about how the world got flipped-turned upside down. And I'd like to take a minute so just sit right there, I'll tell you how HBO is planning a reboot for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Hold up! Before you launch me out the front door for that cheesy, unimaginative intro, let me for real tell you about how the Fresh Prince cast is reuniting at HBO Max to celebrate the show's 30th anniversary.

Because nostalgia is the Hollywood wellspring that keeps on springing, HBO will gather Fresh Prince series regulars Will Smith, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro, and DJ Jazzy Jeff, for a feel-good reunion that'll have your heart doing "the Carlton" in no time! The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air originally ran on NBC from 1990 to 1996 for six seasons and just shy of 150 episodes.

Directing the special is Marcus Raboy, with Rikki Hughes serving as showrunner and executive producer, with Miguel Melendez, Lukas Kaiser, and Brad Haugen for Westbrook Media also executive producing.

Word of the series comes not long after Smith and Westbrook announced the development of a dramatic Fresh Prince reboot based on Morgan Cooper's video "Bel-Air." In the viral video, Cooper gives Will a darker reason to have moved from the mean streets of Philly to the posh groves and gardens of Los Angeles, California, to live with his Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian. Like many of life's unfortunate turns, Will's troubles begin with a misunderstanding. After stepping to a local badass on the basketball court, Will is caught by local law enforcement with a concealed weapon. Fed up with his foolish antics, Will's parents send him away to Bel-Air, where a whole new way of life filled with its own trials and tribulations awaits.