NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is often credited for skyrocketing Will Smith’s popularity. The show ran for six seasons, and its success and acclaim helped the 55-year-old actor’s career evolve, as he would later be intricately involved in the entertainment industry and become a big-budget movie star. The endeavor was tailor-made for Smith, and it is clear, through most of his anecdotes, that he is quite appreciative of it.
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Despite having re-defined 90s sitcoms and becoming an intrinsic part of television history, there’s one thing Smith finds unbearable about the first few episodes of the first season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The Hollywood star finds it so disastrous that he claimed he cannot bear to re-watch the series, unlike the fans who revel in nostalgia and watch it repeatedly. What specifically about the pilot and following episodes bothers Smith?
Let’s have a look.
Will Smith Cannot Bear Watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Season 1
On an appearance on The Graham Norton Show (via ET), Smith reflected on his sitcom stint, which was, goes without saying, uber-successful. Despite establishing a legacy that only a few shows can match up to, there is something about the first few episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that irks the Aladdin alum. Before the NBC sitcom, the actor didn’t have much experience with acting. The endeavor was his initial attempt at the trade.
Naturally, looking back on those days, the seasoned movie actor finds blatant errors in his portrayal.
And one such mistake, according to Will Smith, was mouthing other people’s lines! The Suicide Squad actor was so committed to his role that he memorized the full script along with his lines. That’s an unmatched level of dedication. Alas, the results on screen were not flattering, according to Smith:
“It was my very first role, and I was very focused on being successful. So, I learned the whole script and everyone else’s lines. If you watch the first four or five episodes, you can see I’m mouthing other people’s lines. It’s terrible, and I can’t bear to watch it.”
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It might be time to watch the first few episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air again.
Keeping aside his rookie mistakes, Smith’s acclaim in the entertainment industry was elevated with his sitcom stint. However, there came a time when the actor felt he was at a crossroads. He knew the moment the show had jumped the shark and exhausted its core intent. Around the same time, a movie career looked highly promising.
He knew it was time to move on.
Will Smith Wanted The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air To Go Out With Style
Every series has a threshold to how long it can sustain itself without feeling recycled, repetitive, and mundane. With popular sitcoms, the most glaring trend is its longevity. They span multiple seasons and sometimes may feel endless. However, the cast and crew can quickly sense when a show is at the last stage of its life cycle. And that was precisely the case for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
In his memoir, Will (via Entertainment Weekly), the Bad Boys actor wrote about how he sensed the sitcom was nearing its end. He stated the following:
“Anyone who has ever been on a sitcom can tell you the episode in which their show jumped the shark. Ours was season 5, episode 15, ‘Bullets Over Bel-Air,’ the one in which I got shot, and Carlton started carrying a gun.”
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Will Smith could not decide whether to continue with the sitcom after Season 6. The Hollywood star felt lost and confused until he had a heart-to-heart with the Fresh Prince guest star, John Amos. “It is your responsibility to make sure these people get to leave this show with some dignity,” the TV veteran’s words had stuck with Smith.
This is when the actor decided that Season 6 would be Fresh Prince‘s final. He gathered the cast and promised, “We would go out with style and grace.”
And that was how the Men in Black star stopped the sitcom from sinking into mediocrity in the name of longevity. He wanted the show to conclude in a fashion that was satisfactory to audiences and the cast, who worked on the show for years.
The sixth and final season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air did a fantastic job of capping out this adored show on a high. The series is now recognized as having redefined ’90s sitcoms, marking a turning point in black television and hip-hop. Its legacy has had a lasting impact on popular culture and will remain immortalized through the swarm of nostalgic fans it has birthed.
Source: ET and Entertainment Weekly
