Stream It Or Skip It?

As Season 3 of Bel-Air streams the first three of its ten episodes on Peacock before rolling to a weekly release schedule, Will Smith (Jabari Banks) is excited to spend the summer in his new environs. The dramatic flip of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has had time to grow over its first two seasons, and there’s more of that in store in Season 3, as Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, and Akira Akbar return as the wealthy relatives Will joined upon his departure from West Philadelphia. Bel-Air Season 3 also features rapper and actor Vic Mensa (The Chi), Alycia Pascual-Peña (the Saved by the Bell reboot), and in keeping with its flair for throwback cameos, Joseph Marcell, who played the original Geoffrey the butler on the ’90s Fresh Prince.

Opening Shot: “Come with me to my tournament in Vegas. Me and you in Sin City…” As enticing as this offer from Will (Banks) is, Lisa (Simone Joy Jones) has to stick around Bel-Air to practice with her swim team. Together they leave the cabana where they were making out, and return to the bustling scene at Beverly Hills Country Club. 

The Gist: Last season Will asked Lisa what summer in Bel-Air was like, and now he’s in the middle of finding out. Hanging almost steady with her – “No labels, but we kickin’ it” – pickleball sessions on the courts at the club, summer league basketball practice, and new developments at home, as Carlton (Sholotan) returns to the Banks family manse from his drug rehab program, and the quite-in-love Hilary (Jones) and Lamarcus (Justin Cornwell) jet back from their jaunt through Europe on a private plane. As the sweeping foyer of the Banks home becomes the backdrop for their Essence Magazine cover shot, Philip (Holmes) and Vivian (Freeman) say being a power couple is easy with a work-life balance such as theirs. 

Ashley (Akbar), their youngest, might disagree. “Sometimes looking the part is more important than what’s really going on,” she tells a friend as they observe the photo shoot. Ash is also hesitant to embrace Carlton, after his return. He speaks the language of therapy – you can’t heal what you don’t reveal – but after his lies and betrayals as an addict, neither Ashley nor Viv are fully ready to let him back into their lives. The consequences for Carlton don’t stop there. Admitting his struggle and going to rehab pulled alumni support for his Princeton bid, the fam removed the door to his bedroom, and each morning Philip collects his son’s urine sample for testing.

While Will has gotten to know MMA fighter-turned-venture capitalist Quentin (Mensa) at the country club, and thinks about how he could contribute to Q’s internship program for young Black entrepreneurs – ball is life, but is it everything? – Viv is not happy to learn of Carlton’s budding romance with Amira, who he met in rehab. At the Banks’ big Juneteenth bash held on the grounds of their mansion, Hilary and Lamarcus have big news of their own, and Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola), house manager for the Banks family, has installed a new security system – his past in London might have found him. The past has visited Los Angeles in other ways, too: Will has to find out his estranged father Lou (Marlon Wayans) is still in town by running into him at the hamburger stand.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Reasonable Doubt, the spicy Los Angeles-based legal drama starring Emayatzy Corinealdi, returns for Season 2 this August with the addition of Morris Chestnut. And All American recently dropped its sixth season on Netflix.    

Our Take: There are exciting new developments in the privileged land of Bel-Air as Season 3 begins, especially with Will Smith and Carlton Banks becoming closer as partners in the business incubator founded by Vic Mensa’s Quentin. Jabari Banks and Olly Sholotan have a few great scenes together as Will and C. They are different people. But they’re also cousins and confidants, and bring a lively duo energy to Bel-Air’s summer. Mensa also makes an immediate impression as Quentin. “Those stories are a part of you, ain’t no shame in that,” he encourages the recovering Carlton. “Don’t hide your scars.” 

Bel-Air is also thinking bigger than just Will’s journey. There is some slippage behind the wall of wealth the Banks family enjoys, and it’s exacerbated with Carlton’s return, in that his hidden addictions represent a mark against Vivian and Philip as parents. With the family reunited but still in a hectic place, and their busy careers, Viv laughs about her and Philip becoming one of those couples who have to schedule time for intimacy. But in the next scene she’s only pretending to sleep as he comes to bed.

And what Will wants for himself is also more in play. Sure, he’s still a dream on the court. But could he reach for more than athletic success? And what does that say about opportunity itself, for young Black men of his generation? The reveal of Lou’s presence in LA is already a factor, causing Will to be mentally and emotionally distracted but also conflicted about the shape of his experience in Bel-Air, for both what it is and what it could be.

Sex and Skin: Nothing too crazy. Lots of kissing, though.

Parting Shot: It’s the morning he’s supposed to be on the bus for his summer league basketball tournament in Las Vegas. But Will has made a decision that’s likely to change the entire complexion of his summer in Bel-Air, which everyday feels more like where he belongs.

Sleeper Star: Pick to click for Bel-Air Season 3: Akira Akbar as Ashley, the youngest Banks sibling. Somewhat overshadowed by her cousin’s arrival, her glamorous sister, her achieving brother – or their respective issues – Ash is always listening, and is already asserting herself more as the new season begins.

Most Pilot-y Line: “Learn something from what I’ve been through,” Carlton tells Will. “How you can shove that shit way down, but it won’t go away.” It’s good advice for everyone in Bel-Air. 

Our Call: STREAM IT! With Philly kid Will now fully ensconced in the ritz, glam, and moneyed potential of his new digs, Bel-Air Season 3 is throwing out new challenges, too, and potential new directions for him and every member of the Banks family. It’s gonna be a long summer.  

Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.