The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: 10 Memes That Perfectly Summarize the Series
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was one of the most popular sitcoms of all time during its syndication, and fans are still making memes to celebrate it.
The second season of Bel-Air, a reboot of the original The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, will air on the Peacock streaming service on February 23. Bel-Air is a reimagined version of the original comedy sitcom that changes the story to transform Will Smith into a serious drama that tackles exciting topics of racial tension, culture shock and poverty. According to IndieWire, it has its own following and is one of the most successful original shows on the streaming platform. It's a much different tone than the original show starring Will Smith, a fictionalized version of himself.
The CW show was primarily a "fish out of water" comedy, making fun of Will's wealthy family and the ways he wasn't used to it and took advantage of it. But it also has plenty of dramatic examples, exploring what it's like for the Banks to be a wealthy black family among the whites of Bel-Air. Even after the series ended, the show was so popular that fans continued to watch it on TV and on streaming apps like HBO Max. Fans happily made memes about their favorite show, pointing out its themes and Refer to its significant bit.
The Story Could Have Been Much Shorter
The reason Will was originally sent to Bel-Air was because he got into a fight with some guys on the basketball court, and his mother sent him to California so he wouldn't get into trouble. But it's also revealed in the opening intro song that the guys attack Will because his wayward basketball shot hit them.
The group is sitting around discussing their own affairs when a shot from Will hits the rim and hits the leader of the group. If Will had only hit that shot, or otherwise bounced, he wouldn't have been beaten and sent to Bel-Air.
Bel-Air's Fresh Prince has one of the best TV theme songs of all time. It's a verse of Earworm sung by Will Smith himself, and it does the whole story of the show in about a minute. It has a catchy beat and easy-to-remember lyrics, making it a classic intro song to any show.
Theme Song Is Incredible
It's not uncommon for the lyrics to be fun to sing People know the words in their heads. When the first few beats of the title track hit, it was hard not to drop everything to listen, let alone watch and sing along.
Thanks to Will Smith's hilariously deadpan facial expressions, many of The Fresh Prince's scenes have become prime meme fodder. The screenshot itself is an oft-used meme. There are numerous examples of scenes from the show being used as memes on Twitter, IG, and Reddit.
With the ability to watch the entire series on the streaming service, some fans who didn't watch during the original airing will be delighted to see exactly when a favorite meme appears as a normal scene in the show. This happens frequently with many characters.
Meme Source Code
Uncle Phil, played by the late James Avery, is one of the best parts of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He is the wealthy patriarch of the Banks family and a judge with a bad temper and high expectations for his children. He was an amazing father and husband, even though he set high standards for everyone and They don't know them.
He is often annoyed with Will and his penchant for mischief, but he is more like Will's father than his real father, the man at the center of the meme. Uncle Phil's love for and irritation with Will is a central theme of the show and an important aspect of Will's upbringing, and shows why he's one of the best TV sitcom dads of the '90s.
Aunt Vivian, affectionately known as Aunt Veeve, was the matriarch of the Banks family. She is a lively and fun parent, but also very serious, and nothing goes unnoticed by her. She was played by Janet Hubert in seasons 1-3, and Daphne Maxwell Reed in seasons 4-6.
Uncle Phil
This sudden change didn't go unnoticed by fans, who had to get used to Reed in a looser, less fiery role. Even Jazz got a breakout review, saying Vivian was a little different in Reid's first episode. It's a great way to handle major TV casting changes.
Will Smith's cousin in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is Carlton Banks, played by Alfonso Ribeiro. Carlton is Will's no-nonsense and noble counterpart, and as the series progresses, Carlton gradually becomes a supporting character on the series and becomes Will's constant friend and foil.
Unlike Will, Carlton rarely appears "cool" in any way, and his famous "Carlton" dance of swinging his arms back and forth tends to make others cringe. His outfits are all New England preppy, much like the mannequins in this meme. He looks like Anti-Will in every way, including his attire.
Aunt Vivian Recasting
One of the most recurring characters that is not a main actor is Will's best friend on the show and in real life. Jeffrey Allen Townes, a member of Will Smith's duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, plays a fictional, goofier version of Jazz.
Jazz frequently accosts Banks' women, or unwittingly insults Uncle Phil and welcomes him too much. Whenever this happens, Uncle Phil throws Jazz out of the house with a classic gag. The clip where Jazz gets thrown out of the house is a re-used video that gets funnier every time it's played occur.
Ashley Banks, played by Tatyana Ali, is the youngest and most spoiled child of the Banks family. Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian rarely reprimand or punish her, so she feels free to act like a rebellious teenager, unlike her older siblings.
Carlton Banks' Style
She loves her cousin Will, whom she sees as a laid-back, fun older brother. Uncle Phil takes notice of the relationship and so tries to encourage Will to be a role model for the teenage girl. Will usually gets into trouble whenever Ashley cheats, as Uncle Phil accuses him of not mentoring Ashley, who usually gets away with it by the end of the episode.
Unfortunately, it's hard to rewatch episodes of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air without considering Will Smith's behavior at the 94th Academy Awards. Will Smith, enraged by a joke made by comedian Chris Rock, took to the stage and slapped the presenter in front of a live TV audience.
This was a shocking and embarrassing moment for all involved, and made the rest of the night sour, including his best actor award for his role in King Richard, which was one of the best movies Smith came. His character on the show is so fun, relaxed, and cool that it's hard to reconcile the on-screen character with the real actor.
Jazz And Uncle Phil
Any discussion of the fresh Prince of Bel-Air inevitably leads to a plot where Will is finally reunited with his father after years of abandonment. His dad isn't mentioned very often on the show, and this episode shows why.
His father is a loafer who doesn't want to make time for Will, and just when the two seem to be spending some time together, Will's father runs away again. Smith's performance in that scene is one of his best in the series, and Uncle Phil hugging his crying nephew sums up the series not just as a comedy but as a film about a young man looking for a family theatrical performances.
Next post: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's 10 Best Guest Stars
