Premiering in 1990, the hit NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ran for six seasons, and still remains just as beloved nearly 30 years after it first aired. Known as the show that really put Will Smith on the map in terms of the acting world, the series is just about as good as it gets when it comes to classic sitcoms of the 1990s.
Telling the fish out of water story of young West Philly native Will Smith, whose life is “flipped, turned upside down” when he’s sent to live in cushy Bel-Air with his Aunt and Uncle, the series explores richly unique and diverse storylines and relationships. Here, we’re looking back at the best and worst romances, friendships, and family dynamics to result from the six-season series.
Best: Hilary and Geoffrey
No matter what way you try to spin it, it’s true: Hilary Banks is a spoiled brat. The most privileged of the Banks children, Hilary is accustomed to getting what she wants, when she wants it, no matter what. But over the course of the series, she learns to relax her expectations a bit more, and grows to become a better, kinder person.
And though Will may have something to do with it, the real credit for Hilary’s development as a human being and as a character lies in the hands of her quasi father, Geoffrey. Though he may have been “just” the Banks family butler, Geoffrey was far more family than he ever was just a member of the staff, and that’s perhaps clearest of all in his sweet relationship with Hilary.
Worst: Jazz and Jewel
Jazz may have spent much of the series pining over the always unattainable Hilary when he probably shouldn’t have. But the series’ solution to Jazz’s fruitless love life – introducing the female convict Jazz as not only his girlfriend but his immediately impending wife – was a real mistake.
Jazz and Jewel never felt believable in any way, in the few episodes they shared together. They were often at each other’s throats fighting, and Jewel even tried to cheat on poor Jazz with his best friend Will, on the day of their wedding. Eventually, Jewel seems to disappear without a trace. And honestly, we’re not even mad about it. Jazz and the series were both better off as a result.
Best: Will and Ashley
Will winds up having meaningful relationships with every member of the Banks family over the course of the six years he spends living with them. But no relationship is as sweet and frankly adorable as the one he develops with his youngest cousin, Ashley.
Ashley is really the first member of the family to take to Will and look to him as a mentor figure, beginning in the pilot’s closing moments as the two hilariously dance together. Whether Will is teaching Ashley the drums, posing as her father for a school meeting, or helping her get onto the music and acting scene, Will proves time and again that he’s the perfect support system for Ashley, and the only one who could have given her a much-needed taste of the real world outside of Bel-Air.
Best: Will and Jazz
Though it’s not exactly ever made clear just how these two guys became the best of friends as quickly as they did, there’s no possible way to deny the legacy and influence of the iconic friendship between Will and Jazz. The real life rapport between Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff clearly contributed greatly to this, as Jazz is a character that could easily have been played off as a one-note bit part.
But thanks to the clearly present warmth, affection, and shorthand developed between these two men, the friendship between Will and Jazz remains one of the strongest, most beloved, and most hilarious aspects of the series, even three decades later.
Worst: Aunt Helen and Uncle Lester
Sometimes, all it takes is a few guest appearances for it to be clear that a couple is entirely unsuited for one another. And sometimes, it’s really one guest appearance too many, given how frankly annoying and even toxic these supporting characters can be.
Aunt Helen and Uncle Lester aren’t seen very many times, though Helen appears more frequently than Lester does. But each and every time they do, there’s conflict, whether in the form of Lester’s cheating and lying, or Helen’s harsh and judgmental treatment of her husband.
Best: Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian #1
It’s not often, especially these days, that a sitcom focused on a family and its teenage children will also afford adequate screentime and development to the relationship between the middle-aged parents of the family. But Fresh Prince never once lets its audience forget about the deep, abiding, passionate love between Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian – at least, while Janet Hubert played Vivian, that is.
For the first three seasons of the show, the marriage between Phil and Viv is a portrait of black love and black excellence, both aspirational and inspirational. They have a long history together, including the days of the 1960s and civil rights, and the length of their love and passion is richly felt in every deeply affectionate, and sometimes steamy, scene.
Best: Will and Carlton
Opposites attract is a rule that shows really love to take advantage of, especially sitcoms, since they often lead to the best comedic, Odd Couple inspired dynamics. In the world of Fresh Prince, the resident odd couple is none other than the friendship that blossoms between cousins at odds Will Smith and Carlton Banks.
Will is a kid of the streets of West Philly, while Carlton is a young man who has lived in the lap of luxury in Bel-Air. These two have absolutely nothing in common when the series starts, but through many, many, many misadventures, they come to realize just how much they care for each other. Whether posing as strippers, getting high on laughing gas at the dentist, or faring rough times during some of the series’ darker episodes, these two are there for each other through thick and thin.
Worst: Will and Lisa
We get it: Will had to settle down at some point, and couldn’t be a playboy teenager for the entire series. But did it really have to be with as annoying and confrontational a character as Nia Long’s Lisa Wilkes? Introduced initially as yet another conquest for Will, Lisa also has the cringe-worthy introductory story of scheming to humiliate Will a la Misery in order to impress a sorority she’s pledging for.
Though these two are in a relationship for an entire season, and almost get married more than once, it never feels real or right between them. Thankfully, once they call the wedding off, Lisa is never seen or heard from again – even though their parents wind up getting married to one another instead.
Best: Will and Uncle Phil
Based on how these two interacted in the first episode of the series, you would never be able to imagine that they’d end the series as quasi father and son. When Will moves into the Banks family home, Uncle Phil is hardly a fan of his and what he represents. Over the course of the series, these two butt heads, as Uncle Phil is a disciplinarian and the first real father figure that Will has ever had in his life, too.
Though they come from opposite ends of the spectrum in just about every way, these two men have in common what matters most: the size of their heart. They love one another so very deeply, as can be so clearly seen in the memorable final moments of the iconic episode “Papa’s Got A Brand New Excuse,” and in the final scene of the series overall.
Worst: Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian #2
We’re going to be honest here: it’s been almost 30 years, and we’re still angry about the introduction of Daphne Maxwell Reid as Aunt Vivian. Following Janet Hubert’s untimely dismissal from the series, Reid was introduced as the same character – except for the fact where she had none of the same personality traits as the previous, fierce, beloved Aunt Viv did. And as a result, her relationship with Uncle Phil suffered.
The relationship between Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian #2 never had any of the spark and fire and chemistry it did the first time around. Similarly, the new Vivian was much more haughty and stuck up, which led to unnecessary conflicts between the two of them, including the widely loathed two episode arc in which they actually consider breaking up for good.
