The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - TV-PG
TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: Nickelodeon, Syndicated, The N Cast: Will Smith, James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro
Genre: Comedy
Available on: 
DVDDownload
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that two of the main characters are teenage boys and that some of their jokes can border on offensive and sexist. But taken in context and with a grain of salt, they're nothing worse than what kids hear at school or on the playground.
Families can talk about how to handle situations you're not used to. How does Will deal with being a fish out of water in his new environment? Questions about coping with high school are also relevant. What kind of peer pressure can teens expect to encounter? What should they expect when they start dating?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Lucy Maher
THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR is a feel-good sitcom about a streetwise teenager from Philadelphia who throws the serene life of his well-off relatives for a loop when he goes to live with them in Bel-Air.
Will Smith -- back in the days when he was half of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince rather than a blockbusting action hero -- plays Will, an outspoken inner-city Philly teen whose mother sends him to live with his Aunt Vivian (first played Janet Hubert-Whitten and later by Daphne Maxwell Reid) and Uncle Philip Banks (James Avery) and their three spoiled kids: Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), Hilary (Karyn Parsons), and Ashley (Tatyana Ali). As Will assimilates into his new surroundings, he learns about the good life and adapts to the Banks' carefree lifestyle -- and also teaches his rich relatives that life isn't all about how much money you have in the bank.
Fresh Prince originally ran on NBC for six seasons in the mid-'90s and is now available on DVD and in syndication. Parents can feel good about letting older tweens and young teens tune in. Although there's some bawdy humor -- in the episode in which Will and Carlton start high school, for example, it's evident that their hormones have gone into overdrive, and they're not afraid to hit on every girl who walks by -- each episode leaves viewers with a powerful lesson on how to live life with dignity and grace. What's more, the Banks family is intact and portrayed positively.
Families who enjoy The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air might also want to check out fellow fish-out-of-water comedy Darcy's Wild Life and All of Us, which is based on Smith's life.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentTwo of the characters are teenage boys who begin dating, so there is some talk of kissing and hitting on girls. |
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ViolenceOccasional high school fights. |
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LanguageMild: "damn," "jackass," etc. |
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Social BehaviorThe preteen and teenage characters get themselves into sticky situations but correct their mistakes in the end. The Banks family welcomes Will into their home. Some of the boys' jokes verge on offensive and sexist, but, when taken in context, aren't too bad. |
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