Official poster for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Scripted series · NBC

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Influence goes both ways.

7.9IMDb2K votesOutstanding
Community0/20 ratingsYour ratingRateSign in to rate
1990 – 19966 seasons · 148 episodes~23 min per episodeTV-PGEnded
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The Nutevio profile

TV DNA

How The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.

Signature profile

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reads strongest on Humour, Character Depth and Bingeability.

HumourVery strong8.0

How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.

Character DepthStrong6.0

How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.

BingeabilityStrong5.7

How hard it is to stop after one episode.

Emotional WeightPresent4.9

How much the series is designed to affect you.

TensionPresent4.0

The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.

SpectacleLight3.5

Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.

World BuildingLight3.5

The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.

Cliffhanger IntensityLight3.0

How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.

SerializedLight2.5

How much each hour depends on the one before it.

The story

What it's about

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.

The run

Seasons

6 seasons · 148 episodes.

  • Official poster for Specials

    Season 0 · Unannounced

    Specials

    7 episodes

    Special extra features included on the DVD release.

  • Official poster for Season 1

    Season 1 · Complete

    Season 1

    199025 episodes

    7.6IMDb

    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.

    Best episode · S01E06 Mistaken Identity

  • Official poster for Season 2

    Season 2 · Complete

    Season 2

    199124 episodes

    7.5IMDb

    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.

    Best episode · S02E24 Strip-Tease for Two

  • Official poster for Season 3

    Season 3 · Complete

    Season 3

    199224 episodes

    7.5IMDb

    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.

    Best episode · S03E19 Just Say Yo

  • Official poster for Season 4

    Season 4 · Complete

    Season 4

    199326 episodes

    7.5IMDb

    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.

    Best episode · S04E24 Papa's Got a Brand-New Excuse

  • Official poster for Season 5

    Season 5 · Complete

    Season 5

    199425 episodes

    7.4IMDb

    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!

    Best episode · S05E15 Bullets Over Bel-Air

  • Official poster for Season 6

    Season 6 · Complete

    Season 6

    199524 episodes

    7.5IMDb

    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.

    Best episode · S06E01 Burnin' Down the House

Where the series peaks

Best Episodes

The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.

Still from Papa's Got a Brand-New Excuse

S04E24

Papa's Got a Brand-New Excuse

8.9IMDb16 votes

Ben Vereen plays Will's long-lost father, who breezes into town and promises Will the moon, which angers an unforgiving Philip.

9 May 199423 min
Still from Bullets Over Bel-Air

S05E15

Bullets Over Bel-Air

8.5IMDb14 votes

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.

6 Feb 199523 min
Still from Just Say Yo

S03E19

Just Say Yo

8.4IMDb14 votes

Will learns a sobering lesson after Carlton pops the wrong pills from Will's locker, mistaking amphetamines for vitamins, and winds up in hospital.

15 Feb 199324 min
Still from Banks Shot

S01E22

Banks Shot

8.2IMDb15 votes

Will crawls to Philip for help after sneaking out on the town and getting hustled by sleazy pool sharks.

25 Feb 199124 min
Still from All Guts, No Glory

S04E03

All Guts, No Glory

8.1IMDb12 votes

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.

27 Sept 199323 min

Recently aired

Latest Episodes

Still from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion

S00E07

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion

19 Nov 202075 min
Still unavailable

S00E06

Will From Home - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion

29 Apr 202074 min

Behind the series

Created by

Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.

The craft

Key Crew

Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.

Executive production

Direction

Music

Where to watch

Streaming

Availability verified against regional listings.

  • HuluStreaming
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