Though there have been plenty of people to complain about it even before the series ever aired, after several episodes Bel-Air is already performing well for Peacock. While the original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is one of the best sitcoms of all time, the new show appears to be finding a home with a new generation.
That said, since the series has been rebooted from a sitcom into a drama, not every character is going to be lovable from the beginning. Some of the fans are already rooting against a few characters, much to the chagrin of the show’s real-life actors, who now have to deal with angry fans of the show hating their characters.
10 Worst: Philip Banks Is Too Concerned With His Campaign
While he was a great husband, Philip Banks was pretty prickly at the beginning of the original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He didn’t want Will there or like him very much, and it took time for him to adapt to Will’s presence. This version of Philip is similar, but with a more serious tone, his reticence to have Will around feels more like a threat to send him back to Philadelphia. He’s also a grown man who’s lost touch with his community so bad he needs a 17-year-old to explain and figure it out for him. What kind of campaign is he even running? Hopefully, he’ll grow into the legendary dad Philip Banks was in the original.
9 Best: Vivian Banks Is Trying To Give Her Nephew The Best Opportunity
Aunt Viv was the heart of the original series, and she’s what makes this one work as well. Even though Will and Carlton wind up fighting by the end of the first episode, she doesn’t choose to protect her son over Will. She treats Will like family rather than keeping him at arm’s length and shows Will its possible to adapt to Bel-Air without giving up what makes him himself. That said, she could stand to be a little less critical of her daughter Hilary.
8 Worst: Rashad Denton Messed With The Wrong People
Of course, it’s difficult to like a villain, but Rashad is setting records out here. While Will was at fault for escalating the situation by getting them both tossed in jail, Rashad played his own part in things. He was offered $10,000 to leave Will alone.
He took the money, but that wasn’t enough for him. Instead, he sent goons after Will and tried to squeeze more money out of the Banks family. Rashad wanted to protect his rep but wasn’t satisfied no matter how many times he won, which is why he was potentially killed by Geoffrey.
7 Best: Geoffrey Knows How To Help The Entire Banks Family
The original Geoffrey’s sharp wit and willingness to take a no-nonsense stance even with his own boss made it hard to dislike him. The new one is more of a long-time friend of Philip, and is more than just a butler. His new role on the show turns him into someone smooth and even dangerous, as he handles security for the Banks children. He’s not overly protective either, just making sure they’re safe rather than controlling how they live. Hopefully, he’ll be able to tie into the show a lot more than the original did as well.
6 Worst: Connor Is A Spoiled, Rich Brat With No Redeeming Qualities
Connor is just a walking strawman who happens to have nothing likable about him. Not many people are going to identify with a rich, spoiled white kid. He has no problem rapping racial slurs when he’s with his friends, something Carlton unfortunately encourages. Worse though is that he’s afraid to fight his own battles. Carlton at least had the nerve to try and fight Will. But Connor was such a coward he tried to get Will expelled by putting drugs in his bag. The only good thing about him is seeing him get embarrassed so frequently.
5 Best: Jazz Helps Keep Will In Touch With His Roots
Jazz was less of a character and more comic relief in the original series. He existed for Will to have someone he could bond with that felt like they were actually in touch with what life was like for people who weren’t filthy rich. This version of Jazz serves a similar purpose, but he’s more fleshed out. His love for music and desire to keep his family’s store going makes him both relatable and affable. It also makes more sense to have Jazz flirting with Hilary rather than in the original, where the character was more of a pest to her.
4 Worst: Fred Wilkes Is Standing In Philip’s Way For The Wrong Reasons
They rarely focused on Lisa’s family in the original series, making Fred one of the show’s biggest changes. He starts out as more of a background character but quickly transforms into an antagonist. Upset that Philip doesn’t want to let the police think they’re above the law, he starts running for DA himself.
The idea that Fred was turned off by Philip attempting to care about his community easily makes him not just a jerk, but one of the worst characters in the series. And that’s before getting to the part where they explain Fred cheated on Lisa’s mom with his new wife.
3 Best: Ashley Banks Remains As Likable As She Was In The Original
Ashley isn’t given a lot of focus in the first two episodes, but they make up for it later. She perfectly portrays a person who wants more freedom from the sheltered and pampered life of her family. While Ashley struggling with her sexuality is a new thing, it’s not entirely disconnected from her old self either. The original Ashley had her boy-crazy phase where she was figuring out romance, but of course, that would look a little different in the 2020s. Still, she wants to be her own person, and watching her learn what that looks like is compelling.
2 Worst: Carlton Is More Devious Than The Original
Carlton is such an easy-to-hate character, as he’s completely the opposite of his original self. No longer a comedic relief type of guy, this Carlton is smooth and runs the private academy he and Will are attending. But he’s also intensely unaware of how much his privilege puts him ahead of those around him. He’s also manipulative, trying to trick his way back into Lisa’s heart. It’s only a matter of time before he and Will learn to get along, but for now he’s the most hateable member of the main cast.
1 Best: Will Is The Character Everyone Wants To See Succeed
Like the original sitcom, Will is what keeps Bel-Air going. Sure, he made some poor decisions that led to him being in Bel-Air, but that was what was necessary to tell the story. Since coming to Bel-Air, Jabari Banks’ Will Smith portrays a black youth trying to maintain his freedom in the face of a system that’s designed to take everything from him and to maintain his authenticity in a city where everything is fake. He’s got big shoes to fill, but so far he’s carrying the series as the main character. He’s likable and has just the right sense of humor to play a rebooted Will Smith.
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