Peacock To Reboot Hit '90s Sitcom 'Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air' As A Drama

We've been hearing various rumors about a potential Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot for years, but now it seems it is finally going to happen...sort of. Newly launched streaming service Peacock plans to release a two-season 'reboot' of the show, one that is styled as a drama rather than a sitcom, and that is set in modern life with modern issues. The show is based on a trailer that went viral last year.

The original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sitcom premiered on television in 1990 with Will Smith in the starring role. The NBC sitcom ran for a total of six seasons and remains a popular show to this day, with continued reruns on television. Last year, a three-minute trailer showed us an alternative reality Fresh Prince presented as a drama rather than a comedy.

Peacock is, of course, owned by NBC, making a soft reboot of a hit show a great way to bring attention to the service. Confirmation of the new series comes from actor Will Smith, who says the deal has been 'officially closed' and that two seasons have been ordered. 'They ordered two full seasons of Bel-Air based on the quality of the pitch,' he says in the announcement video.

Deadline reports that the series only began circulating to potentially interested buyers in August. The bidding for the show is described as having been 'very competitive,' spurring a bidding war. Netflix and Peacock were reportedly the two services left standing with the latter ultimately scoring the show.

As expected for a drama, each episode of Bel-Air will be an hour long, with the story itself following the same general one from the original sitcom: Will from West Philadelphia goes to live with his wealthy uncle in Bel-Air to escape the conflicts of home. This presents a new variety of struggles.