The Fresh Prince of the African American Experience
It’s Black History Month, a time to reflect on all the culture and prestige of the African-American experience. This is a time to reflect on all the amazing achievements made by black Americans, so I figured it was as good a time as ever to talk about The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It’s the show that made Will Smith’s career and is considered to be a great piece of African-American pop culture.
The plot itself isn’t too complicated. As explained in the show’s theme song, Will Smith plays a teenage boy, ironically named Will Smith, from the rough streets of Philadelphia who ends up getting into trouble with some guys in his neighborhood. After getting into “one little” fight, Will’s mom thinks that the neighborhood is too dangerous for him and decides to send him away to live with his rich aunt and uncle and their kids in Bel-Air, California. The show then goes on to display the lives of the family and how Will’s middle-class street-tough ways clash with the high society world his wealthy extended family inhabits.
First premiering on September 10th, 1990, the show had an entertaining and powerful black cast. Alongside Smith, the show’s main cast was made up of Daphne Maxwell Reid, Alfonso Ribero, Karyn Parsons, Tatyanna M. Ali, Joseph Marcell, and the late James Avery. Each actor was phenomenal, managing to give their characters a real sense of depth and range to them while still keeping them distinct and interesting. Will, while never losing his sense of humor and street wisdom, was also able to be deep and emotional. Carlton, his rich cousin with enthusiasm, displayed a depth and thoughtfulness outside his cushy Bel-Air lifestyle. Hillary, the ditzy silver-spooned heiress, sometimes proved herself to be more perceptive than she appeared. All the characters conveyed that there was more to them than first appeared and could go beyond the usual sitcom stereotypes in terms of personality.
The show was a smash hit for its time, not only being aired for about six seasons but also being nominated for numerous awards and winning several of them. Fresh-Prince was a truly phenomenal piece of television in part due to its ability to find a balance between being a hilarious comedy and a powerful drama. The comedic moments of the show always managed to hit a note but never dragged down the more powerful moments of family drama.
Fresh Prince is one of the more popular pieces of black television, standing in the same ranks as shows like Everybody Hates Chris and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and while the families’ race isn’t one of the sole focuses of the show, it’s still able to be used to convey a number of powerful plot points. Plot points such as Will’s cousin Carlton (portrayed by Alfonso Rivero) being profiled by a police officer and taken to prison for driving a nice car, or when one of Will’s aunts brings home a white person as her fiance, making the whole family a little uncomfortable. These intense racial issues are all handled with a mix of humor and angst, creating multiple interesting and compelling story lines that can easily keep people entertained and intrigued.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was an inspiring piece of media that engraved itself into American culture. It was a piece that managed to touch on important lessons about race and was able to be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age, social status, or race. It was a real gem of television that has stood the test of time.