Peacock’s Bel-Air isn’t the family-friendly, American sitcom you remember. The Will Smith produced reboot offers a darker, grittier story about the boy from West Philly.

First premiering in 1990, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air tells the story of a young Will Smith who finds himself having to move in with his aunt and uncle, Vivian and Phillip, and their three children, Hilary, Carlton, and Ashley. And like the classic theme song says, after a confrontation with some gang members goes awry, the street-smart teenager is forced to flee from West Philly to LA at the behest of his mother.

Bel-Air, which premiered Sunday, February 13th, has expanded from the 20-minute slap-stick comedy that we remember into a full-on hour-long drama. Jabari Banks, who plays Will, leads the new cast in the re-imaging of the sitcom, charting the highs and lows of Will Smith’s journey throughout the ostentatiously wealthy community.

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Series creator, writer, and director Morgan Cooper dropped a short film in 2019, re-imaging the sitcom, which caused a social media firestorm and caught the attention of Will Smith. Netflix and HBO Max were among the names that reportedly wanted it before it found its home at Peacock. Taking a new direction and focusing on Will’s emotional journey could help the Peacock original series outdo its predecessor.

Here are some other ways Bel-Air stands out against the sitcom.

A Deeper Look at Serious Issues

     NBC

While the original series did tackle more serious storylines – Will and Carlton facing police brutality, Will’s reunion with his absentee father, and Carlton’s gun possession – the show always ended with a lighthearted family message. And while this is great, it’s not always realistic. Cooper’s Bel-Air offers fans a different point of view and is more intentional about highlighting present-day social issues such as racism, classism, and privilege.

His objective is to continue the conversation that the original helped to start – no Black experience is the same. “This idea wasn’t birthed in some corporate boardroom or some corporate studio setting,” Cooper told IndieWire. “This was parked in my car, riding down 71 Highway in my hometown, Kansas City. And so, I think people will be able to feel the authenticity through this show and us exploring the beauty of the Black experience. And the multidimensional component of our experience. And that’s what we see in our show is different perspectives of the Black experience to create more of a holistic picture of our existence. And that’s a beautiful thing.”

It’s Not a Comedy

     Peacock

LA is looking a little different for the Fresh Prince these days. Arguably the most drastic change, and to the dismay of many fans, the new series has decided to stray away from the laughs and lean more into following Will as he grapples with adapting to his rarefied, upper-class environment. The reboot brings more intense, dramatic scenes, particularly in the first episode of the series, where we see Will get involved in a brawl that causes him to leave his home.

Cooper and co-showrunner Rasheed Newsome wanted to focus on the idea of what a real-life scenario of Will’s journey would look like. “I definitely saw my fair share of scuffles on a ball court, and they weren’t pretty,” Cooper said. “So really infusing real-life experiences into this re-imagining is what I think people will take away and really feel it’s like, ‘oh, wow, this is visceral.’ And there’s an authentic layer to it. And it all comes from taking these stories and really making them personal and creating them from the heart.”

More Intentional Character Development

Unlike its predecessor, the reboot offers its characters more growth, which was most likely unable to happen with the original 20-minute show, particularly with Hilary, Carlton, and Aunt Vivian.

Hilary, played by Coco Jones, has transformed from the vain, air-headed older sister into a passionate culinary influencer. Her iconic sense of style, however, is still intact.

But one of the most significant character arcs to change was that of Carlton Banks, played by Olly Sholotan. In this series, Carlton is a ruthless villain who will do whatever it takes to take his cousin down, it seems. The new dramatized version allows us to see a darker side of the dancing, khaki, and polo-clad rich kid we all remember. This Carlton gets in fights and does drugs. His edgier personality may lend itself to some exciting moments as the series moves forward.