Claws star Karrueche Tran, Little Fires Everywhere actor SteVonté Hart and seven other actors have been announced as recurring cast members for Bel-Air, the dramatic reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air at NBCUniversal’s Peacock.
April Parker Jones, Joe Holt, Scottie Thompson, Jon Beavers, Tyler Barnhardt and Charlie Hall are also recurring, as well as Duane Martin, who has been officially announced after revealing his casting late last year.
Tran will play Ivy, a top-tier social media influencer who offers to help Hilary with her influencer business. Martin is Steven Lewis, Philip Banks’ campaign manager on his run for LA District Attorney. Steven is a seasoned political strategist and has operated in Democratic Party politics for his entire career. He believes that he can help Phil win.
Parker Jones will play Viola ‘Vy’ Smith, Will’s mother and Aunt Viv’s older sister. Having always put her son first, Vy makes the tough decision to send Will to live with her sister, even though they haven’t spoken in years. Hart is will play Tray Melbert, Will’s best friend and basketball teammate from West Philly. With Will’s sudden departure to Bel-Air, Tray risks falling victim to the streets of West Philly.
Joe Holt is Fred Wilkes, the Police Chief and Lisa’s father. Wilkes and the Banks’ family have run in the same circles for years. Thompson will play Angela, an interior designer, newly married to Police Chief and Lisa’s father, Fred Wilkes. Angela tries to navigate her new role in the family. Beavers will play Kylo, a social media influencer. He provides Hilary Banks with an interview opportunity to join his influencer house.
Barnhardt will play Connor Satterfield, Carlton’s best friend, lacrosse teammate and the most popular kid in school, second to Carlton. Connor crosses boundaries that cause tension between him and Will. Hall is play Tyler Laramy, a member of the Bel-Air Academy basketball team and one of Will’s good friends at school. Tyler is known for being the class-clown and pushing his teachers’ buttons.
The official description of the series reads: Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air is a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90’s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” that leans into the original premise: Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show.
Led by Jabari Lewis as Will, the series stars Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey, Jordan L. Jones as Jazz and Simone Joy Jones as Lisa.
The series is out of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal Television. It is based on the viral concept trailer from Morgan Cooper released in 2019. Peacock won a buzzy bidding war for the series after Smith contacted Cooper and wanted to develop the project. The NBCUniversal streamer already has a two-season order for the series.
The co-showrunners are T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson. Cooper is directing and is the co-writer and executive producer. Exec producers are Will Smith, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Malcolm Spellman, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and Andy & Susan Borowitz.
