The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air - wikipedia The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air Some of this article 's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. ( April 2011 ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2017 ) The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air Created by Andy Borowitz Susan Borowitz Starring Will Smith James Avery Janet Hubert - Whitten Alfonso Ribeiro Karyn Parsons Tatyana M. Ali Joseph Marcell Daphne Maxwell Reid Ross Bagley Theme music composer The Fresh Prince in association with A Touch of Jazz, Inc. Opening theme `` Yo Home to Bel Air '', performed by The Fresh Prince Composer ( s ) Quincy Jones Country of origin United States Original language ( s ) English No. of seasons 6 No. of episodes 148 ( list of episodes ) Production Executive producer ( s ) Quincy Jones Andy Borowitz Susan Borowitz Kevin Wendle ( Season 1 ) Winifred Hervey ( Seasons 2 -- 3 ) Gary H. Miller ( Season 4 -- 5 ) Cheryl Gard ( Mid-Late Season 5 ) Jeff Pollack Will Smith ( Season 6 ) Benny Medina Producer ( s ) Werner Walian Lisa Rosenthal Joel Madison Leilani Downer Joanne Curley - Kerner Joel Markowitz Location ( s ) Hollywood Center Studios Hollywood, California ( 1990 -- 1991 ) Sunset Gower Studios Hollywood, California ( 1991 -- 1993 ) NBC Studios Burbank, California ( 1993 -- 1996 ) Camera setup Videotape ; Multi-camera Running time 23 minutes Production company ( s ) The Stuffed Dog Company Quincy Jones Productions ( Seasons 1 -- 3 ) Quincy Jones / David Salzman Entertainment ( Seasons 4 -- 6 ) NBC Productions Distributor Warner Bros. Television Distribution Release Original network NBC Picture format 480i ( SDTV ) Original release September 10, 1990 ( 1990 - 09 - 10 ) -- May 20, 1996 ( 1996 - 05 - 20 ) External links Website www.warnerbros.co.uk/television/freshprince/index2.html The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street - smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his wealthy aunt and uncle in their Bel Air mansion after getting into a fight on a local basketball court. In the series, his lifestyle often clashes with the lifestyle of his relatives in Bel Air. The series ran for six seasons and aired 148 episodes. Contents 1 Development 2 Plot 3 Cast and characters 3.1 Major supporting characters 4 Episodes 5 Crossovers and other appearances 6 Syndication 7 Ratings 8 DVD releases 9 Awards and nominations 10 Possible reboot 11 References 12 External links Development The characters of The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air. From top left : Hilary Banks, Geoffrey, Vivian Banks, Carlton Banks. From bottom left : Ashley Banks, Philip Banks, Will Smith. In December 1989, NBC approached Will Smith, a popular rapper during the late 1980s. The pilot episode began taping on May 1, 1990. Season 1 first aired in September 1990, and ended in May 1991. The series finale was taped on Thursday, March 21, 1996. The theme song `` Yo Home to Bel Air '' was written and performed by Smith under his stage name, The Fresh Prince. The music was composed by Quincy Jones, who is credited with Smith at the end of each episode. The music often used to bridge scenes together during the show is based on a similar chord structure. In the second season, the kitchen and living room sets were rebuilt much larger with a more contemporary style ( as opposed to the much more formal style of the first season ) and were connected directly by an archway, allowing scenes to be shot continuously between the sets. Plot The theme song and opening sequence set the premise of the show. Will Smith is a street smart teenager, born and raised in West Philadelphia. While playing basketball, Will misses a shot and the ball hits a group of people, causing a confrontation that frightens his mother, who sends him to live with his aunt and uncle in the opulent neighborhood of Bel Air, Los Angeles. Will 's working - class background ends up clashing in various humorous ways with the upper class world of the Banks family -- Will 's uncle Phil and aunt Vivian and their children, Will 's cousins : Hilary, Carlton, and Ashley. Cast and characters Main article : List of The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air characters Will Smith as Will Smith James Avery as Philip Banks Janet Hubert - Whitten ( Season 1 -- 3 ) and Daphne Maxwell Reid ( Season 4 -- 6 ) as Vivian Banks Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton Banks Karyn Parsons as Hilary Banks Tatyana M. Ali as Ashley Banks Joseph Marcell as Geoffrey Butler Ross Bagley as Nicholas `` Nicky '' Banks ( Seasons 5 & 6 ) Major supporting characters DJ Jazzy Jeff as Jazz Vernee Watson - Johnson as Viola `` Vy '' Smith Jenifer Lewis as Helen Smith ( recurring ) Nia Long as Lisa Wilkes ( Season 5 ) Tyra Banks as Jacqueline `` Jackie '' Ames ( Season 4 ) John Amos as Fred Wilkes ( Lisa 's father ) ( Season 5 ) Episodes Main article : List of The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air episodes Crossovers and other appearances During the fall 1991 -- 1992 season, NBC gained two hit television shows to anchor their Monday night lineup ( Blossom aired immediately after The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air ). To gain popularity between the two shows, Will Smith appeared in the Blossom episode `` I 'm with the Band '' as himself under his rap stage name, The Fresh Prince. That same season, Karyn Parsons appeared in the Blossom episode `` Wake Up Little Suzy '' as Hilary Banks. Parsons also appeared in the Patti LaBelle sitcom Out All Night as Hilary. In the House and Fresh Prince were both executive produced by Winifred Hervey, David Salzman and Quincy Jones. During the second season 's first episode, Alfonso Ribeiro and Tatyana Ali appeared as their Fresh Prince characters ( Carlton and Ashley Banks ) in the crossover episode `` Dog Catchers ''. Later that season, James Avery ( Phillip Banks ) appeared as a mediator in the episode `` Love on a One - Way Street ''. In the Season 4 episode `` My Pest Friend 's Wedding '', James Avery and Daphne Maxwell Reid ( Vivian Banks ) guest starred as Dr. Maxwell Stanton 's parents ( Stanton was played by Ribeiro ). Both Avery and Reid portrayed the parents of Ribeiro 's Fresh Prince character. Joseph Marcell, who played the wisecracking Geoffrey Butler on Fresh Prince, also appeared as an officiating minister in the same episode. Syndication The series was produced by NBC Productions in association with The Stuffed Dog Company and Quincy Jones Entertainment ( later Quincy Jones - David Salzman Entertainment in 1993 ). After the show was released to syndication in 1994, the series has been distributed by Warner Bros. Television, which continues to distribute the show worldwide ( although NBCUniversal does own the series ' copyright ). WGN America was the first cable channel to acquire the series in 1997, TBS acquired the series a year later in 1998 ; both channels carried the series until the fall of 2003, though TBS reacquired the series in 2007. The theme song was shown in the original TBS run, but after TBS re-acquired Fresh Prince in 2007, the opening credits were truncated and the theme song removed and replaced with the instrumental version used as the show 's closing theme ; these versions also re added portions of scenes cut from the original syndicated prints for some episodes, particularly those from Seasons 3 to 6. TBS continues to air the series today, early in the morning. Reruns also aired on WPIX - TV back to back weeknights at 6 pm & 6 : 30 pm EST from 1994 until 2000, and as a weekday basis at 5 pm from 2000 to 2005, sometimes on weekends until 2007. But, the series was still rerunning on The WB 's affiliation WPIX - TV until 2006. While moving The WB to Nick at Nite, it was airing to 2006 - 2009 and moved to Disney XD. In July 2009, Disney XD acquired the rights to the series, though it was quickly moved from prime time to late night airings, and only episodes from Seasons 1 to 3 are aired, mainly because those episodes are more appropriate for young viewers and does not contain as many mature themes, sexual content and strong language as later episodes. But in August 2010, Disney XD stopped airing the show. ABC Family ( now called Freeform ) acquired the series in September 2008, though airing all 148 episodes ; originally airing exclusively on Saturday nights, the series was added to ABC Family 's weekday line up in late 2009. On September 29, 2014, Disney / ABC rights to the show expired. Viacom Media Networks got the series back. In October 2014, Viacom Media Networks also gave the series to BET, it also will air on Centric. It was previously aired on MTV 's retro block. Also, the series reruns on VH1. On November 2, 2015, the series started airing on the Family Channel in Canada. On January 1, 2017, the series was added to Netflix in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In 2014, Fresh Prince Of Bel Air started airing again in Nickelodeon ` s block night channel, Nick at Nite. In 2017, the series began from the beginning on the 5 * channel in the UK. Ratings Season U.S. ratings Network Rank 1990 -- 91 13.1 million NBC # 39 1991 -- 92 14.3 million NBC # 22 1992 -- 93 14.6 million NBC # 18 1993 -- 94 13.7 million NBC # 21 5 1994 -- 95 10.4 million NBC # 49 6 1995 -- 96 9.6 million NBC # 55 DVD releases Warner Home Video has released the complete series, seasons 1 to 6 on DVD in Region 1. Seasons 1 to 4 have been released in Regions 2 and 4. Seasons 5 to 6 have been released in Region 2 in Germany, and in the complete series boxset in the United Kingdom. The episodes and DVD menus are in English ; only the DVD packaging is in German. DVD Name Ep # Release dates Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 The Complete First Season 25 February 8, 2005 February 21, 2005 April 13, 2005 The Complete Second Season 24 October 11, 2005 November 21, 2005 March 1, 2006 The Complete Third Season 24 February 14, 2006 June 26, 2006 August 9, 2006 The Complete Fourth Season 26 August 8, 2006 January 22, 2007 December 6, 2006 The Complete Fifth Season 25 May 11, 2010 June 18, 2010 TBA The Complete Sixth Season 24 April 19, 2011 May 6, 2011 TBA Awards and nominations Awards Outcome Recipient ( s ) Year ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards : Top TV Series Won Quincy Jones Will Smith DJ Jazzy Jeff 1994 Emmy Awards : Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction for a Comedy Series Nominated Art Busch Golden Globe Awards : Best Performance by an Actor in a TV - Series -- Comedy / Musical Nominated Will Smith 1994 Best Performance by an Actor in a TV - Series -- Comedy / Musical Nominated Will Smith 1993 Image Award : Outstanding Comedy Series Nominated 1997 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Won Alfonso Ribeiro Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated Will Smith 1997 Outstanding Youth Actor / Actress Won Tatyana M. Ali 1997 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated Janet Hubert - Whitten 1991 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated Nia Long Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated Daphne Maxwell Reid Kids ' Choice Awards : Favorite Television Actor Nominated Will Smith Favorite Television Show Nominated Favorite TV Actress Won Tatyana M. Ali NCLR Bravo Awards : Outstanding Television Series Actor in a Crossover Role Nominated Alfonso Ribeiro TP de Oro : Best Foreign Series ( Mejor Serie Extranjera ) Nominated Best Foreign Series ( Mejor Serie Extranjera ) Won 1994 TV Land Awards : Best Broadcast Butler Nominated Joseph Marcell Favorite `` Fish Out of Water '' Nominated Will Smith Young Artist Awards : Best Performance by an Actor Under Ten -- Television Won Ross Bagley Best Performance by an Actor Under Ten in a TV Series Won Ross Bagley 1995 Best Youth Comedienne Nominated Tatyana M. Ali 1994 Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series Nominated Larenz Tate 1993 Best Young Actor Guest Starring or Recurring Role in a TV Series Nominated Tevin Campbell Best New Family Television Comedy Series Won 1991 YoungStar Award : Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy TV Series Won Tatyana M. Ali 1997 Possible reboot On August 13, 2015, it was reported that a reboot of the show was in development by Overbrook Entertainment, with Will Smith serving as a producer. While the original aired on NBC, a network for the reboot has yet to be determined. In August 2016, during a promotional interview with the E ! television network, for his then upcoming film Suicide Squad, Smith had denied that a reboot was in development, saying that it would happen ``... pretty close to when Hell freezes over. '' References Jump up ^ `` The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air ''. TV.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 2, 2014. Jump up ^ Coker, Cheo Hodari ( May 20, 1996 ). `` Good Night, ' Prince ' ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2014. Jump up ^ Rohter, Larry ( September 17, 1990 ). `` ' Fresh Prince of Bel Air ' Puts Rap in Mainstream ''. The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2014. Jump up ^ Wolf, Matt ( February 11, 1991 ). `` ' Fresh Prince ' makes Marcell changed man ''. Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. Retrieved January 2, 2014. Jump up ^ Cerone, Daniel. `` Rap 's Prince Soon to Be TV Royalty ? ''. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` The Hollywood Minute ''. CNN. Cable News Network Inc. Retrieved 20 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air DVD news : Announcement for The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air - The Complete 6th Season ''. TVShowsOnDVD.com. May 25, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air, The : The Complete First Season DVD @ DVD Empire ''. Dvdempire.com. February 8, 2005. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air - The Complete First Series DVD : Amazon.co.uk : Will Smith, James Avery, Janet Hubert - Whitten, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali, Joseph Marcell : DVD ''. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Buy Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air, The - The Complete 1st Season ( 5 Disc Set ) @ EzyDVD ''. Ezydvd.com.au. April 27, 2005. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air, The : The Complete Second Season DVD @ DVD Empire ''. Dvdempire.com. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air - The Complete Second Series DVD : Amazon.co.uk : Will Smith, James Avery, Janet Hubert - Whitten, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali, Joseph Marcell, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Ellen Falcon : DVD ''. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Buy Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air, The - The Complete 2nd Season ( 4 Disc Set ) @ EzyDVD ''. Ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air, The : The Complete Third Season DVD @ DVD Empire ''. Dvdempire.com. February 14, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air - The Complete Third Season DVD : Amazon.co.uk : Will Smith, James Avery, Karyn Parsons, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana M. Ali, Joseph Marcell : DVD ''. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Buy Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air, The - The Complete 3rd Season ( 4 Disc Set ) @ EzyDVD ''. Ezydvd.com.au. August 9, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air, The : The Complete Fourth Season DVD @ DVD Empire ''. Dvdempire.com. August 8, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air - Series 4 ( DVD ) : Amazon.co.uk : Will Smith : DVD ''. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Buy Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air, The - The Complete 4th Season ( 4 Disc Set ) @ EzyDVD ''. Ezydvd.com.au. December 6, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air, The : The Complete Fifth Season DVD @ DVD Empire ''. Dvdempire.com. November 5, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Awards for The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air ''. Imdb.com. Retrieved August 7, 2008. Jump up ^ Lovett, Jamie ( August 13, 2015 ). `` Will Smith Producing A Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Reboot ''. Comicbook.com. Retrieved August 13, 2015. Jump up ^ `` '' Fresh Prince of Bel - Air '' Reboot in the Works - thenewbenjamin ``. thenewbenjamin. Jump up ^ `` Will Smith Reboots Fresh Prince of Bel Air ''. PopCultureFan.com. August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015. Jump up ^ Loughrey, Clarisse ( August 2, 2016 ). `` Will Smith says Fresh Prince of Bel - Air reboot will happen when ' hell freezes over ' ''. The Independent. Retrieved August 4, 2016. External links African American portal Television in the United States portal Comedy portal Los Angeles portal 1990s portal Wikiquote has quotations related to : The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air. The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air at epguides.com The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air on IMDb The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air at TV.com The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air Episodes Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Characters Will Smith Spinoffs Out All Night Theme song Yo Home to Bel - Air Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Fresh_Prince_of_Bel-Air&oldid=804921798 '' Categories : The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air 1990s American comedy television series 1990 American television series debuts 1996 American television series endings American black comedy television programs Television series set in universities and colleges English - language television programs American high school television series Metafictional television series NBC network shows Television series by Warner Bros. 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Question: when was the fresh prince of bel air first aired
Answer: September 10, 1990