And today in needless reboots of television shows that were just barely enjoyable to begin with, we have news that a reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the NBC family comedy series that ran for six seasons, until its finale in 1996, has become a cult object for 90s nostalgists and very white hipsters nationwide, is in the works. Amongst the show's various pluses is the fact that it essentially introduced the world to Will Smith, who has gone on to star in a few movies that a few people have heard about, including Independence Day, Bad Boys, and Michael Mann's exquisite Ali. Smith is now onboard as a producer for the reboot and is beginning to shop around the reboot to various networks through his Overbrook producing group, which also includes Jada Pinkett Smith.

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Image via NBC

Details are sparse currently, but this seems in line with a recent spat of series from the 1980s and 90s that are getting refurbished solely on the basis of nostalgia appeal. At TCA today, NBC head Robert Greenblatt said that the Fresh Prince reboot isn't currently happening at NBC, though he added that they would be open to conversations about the new series. There's no word if Smith will star or even have a guest spot in the reboot, or if the show will be a total revamping, versus a decades-later continuation of the original narrative. The original show, of course, featured Smith as a fictional version of himself living under the roof of his affluent relatives, the Banks family, headed by James Avery's Philip and Aunt Vivian (Daphne Reid); Smith's cousin, Carlton, played by Alfonso Ribeiro, became a fan favorite for his dancing style and general naïveté. There's no telling who amongst the Banks family will be returning, but if Ribeiro's now-classic fancy footwork isn't included in some way, I will frankly eat my hat with a knife and fork.


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Image via NBC
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