5 Shows to Watch if You Liked ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’
Will Smith’s big break in acting was the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show capitalized on Smith’s natural charisma and humor and proved he was more than just a rapper. Creator Benny Medina and producer Quincy Jones took a chance on Smith that paid off. The show lasted six seasons before Smith became such a big movie star, it was time to end the show. All six seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are streaming on HBO Max. If you like Fresh Prince of Bel-Air here are five other shows you may like too.
If you like ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ as a comedy, try ‘Bel-Air’ as a drama
The direct remake of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air changes the tone considerably. Bel-Air imagines Will (Jabari Banks) moving in with his cousins as a drama. It began as a parody trailer by Morgan Cooper but Smith was so impressed he produced it with Cooper for real.
Bel-Air hits some of the vital beats like Will confronting his father, Lou (Marlon Wayans). New drama includes Carlton (Olly Sholotan)’s battle with anxiety and Hilary (Coco Jones)’ developing her influencer business. It’s still unmistakably Bel-Air with Phil (Adrian Holmes) and Vivan (Cassandra Freeman) providing some wisdom and mentorship, but it’s all modern and new. Bel-Air streams on Peacock.
If you like ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ ‘In the House’ gave LL Cool J his own comedy
Once Smith had a hit with Fresh Prince, it opened the floodgates for rappers on TV. Before he sprung into action in NCIS: Los Angeles, LL Cool J led the comedy In the House. LL played an ex-football player who rented out his house. As a bonus, this was also Alfonso Ribeiro’s next show after Fresh Prince ended. All five seasons of In the House are streaming on HBO Max.
Will Smith’s fellow bad boy, Martin Lawrence, had his own show too
While Smith was ruling Bel-Air on NBC, comedian Martin Lawrence had his own sitcom, Martin, on Fox. By the time Bad Boys came around, both were hungry to prove they were more than just funnymen, and they did.
Martin showcased Lawrence’s comedy as a fictional radio host. Lawrence also played multiple characters, but his main one, Martin Payne, romanced Gina (Tisha Campbell). All five seasons of Martin are streaming on HBO Max and BET+, the latter of which has the reunion special too.
If you like ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ check out Queen Latifah’s sitcom ‘Living Single’
Queen Latifah began dabbling in acting after her music career took off, including a guest appearance on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She got her own show in 1993. Living Single teamed Latifah up with Kim Coles, Kim Fields, and Erika Alexander as Brooklyn roommates looking for love. Their friendship got them through all comic hijinks of their love lives. All five seasons stream on Hulu or HBO Max.
‘The Fresh Prince’ almost met his wife in ‘A Different World’
The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World has a connection to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Smith wanted to meet Jada Pinkett, who was then starring on A Different World. When he went to a taping, he ended up meeting his first wife, Sheree Zampino instead.
Even without the Smith connection, A Different World was a solid show in its own right. Set at a college, the students at Hillman stood out on their own even after Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) left after her freshman year. All six seasons stream on HBO Max and two are available on Hoopla.
