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The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Will Smith, James Avery, Karyn Parsons
Aired 1995-96
3 DVD 24 Episodes
3 DVD 24 Episodes
Warner Home Video 2011
It is hard to say when Fresh Prince of Bel-Air jumped the shark but by the time season 6 rolled around the fish was circling the Banks swimming pool. This sitcom DVD set features episodes on 3 DVD including a two-part season finale that includes two other famous Black TV families, the Drummonds and The Jeffersons. There is also a rather lame blooper episode and it does not make up for the lack of special features here.
Fresh Prince was your basic easy listening situation comedy. You knew the show was going to be about Will getting into some kind of trouble and someone, usually Geoffrey the butler gets him out of it. Carlton was going to be his usual not officially gay conservative self, Hillary was going to say something silly, and there would be plenty of fat jokes at the expense of Philip Banks. Vivian, the mother in this show, was as unimportant a character as you can get.
None of the 24 episodes here is particularly interesting nor is there any one that is particularly bad. B.B. King, Chris Rock, Dick Clark, and one of the Home Improvement kids show up as guests.
Fresh Prince of Bel Air sometimes gives a viewer the feeling it could have been a much better sitcom had it not been so set on its formula. Alfonzo Ribeiro was better than his part and as the kitchen burning episode suggests Carlton could have been much more interesting.
If you are looking for a family friendly sitcom, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Season 6 does the trick but that is about it.