Bel-Air Season 3 Review: Introspective New Season Needs More Lighthearted Moments To Balance Its Drama (2024)

After its explosive season 2 finale, with Carlton's addiction coming to light and Will's future seemingly secured, Bel-Air season 3 kicks off the summer for the Banks family. Bel-Air may have been inspired by Will Smith's groundbreaking The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but it has firmly established its own distinct identity and characters, regardless of shared names and settings. In the first three episodes, season 3 continues to deliver thought-provoking, enthusiastic, and authentic stories that provide insight into the diverse array of obstacles that people of color run into, regardless of where they come from and who they are.

Bel-Air season 2 saw Carlton reveal his drug habit after acting cruelly to his youngest sister, Ashley. Philip appears to be getting his business in order, only to have Erika come in and cause chaos, and Will fixes the issues with Doc and the basketball team. Season 3 continues to build on these storylines and get the characters through trials in a way that is both engaging and feels true to who they are. But, I have minor gripes with certain characters behaving in ways that could be deemed shallow and unusual for them.

Bel-Air Is Not The Fresh Prince's Story (& That's A Good Thing)

With the show's central characters and premise building on the hit 1990s comedy, it's clear that people would compare the two, but after three seasons, it's evident these two shows are not the same. Bel-Air is forging its own path, and it makes for an incredibly introspective and reflective show that offers us powerful insight into the lives of several characters struggling to do their best.

Despite wealth and access, the Banks family continue to have personal struggles living between two worlds — one that respects their hustle, and praises their success, and another that views them as selfish, detached, and ignorant. Season 3 continues to build on this narrative, as the family deals with the fallout of their choices.

Hilary, Carlton, Philip, and Vivian are all struggling with choices that have placed them in a difficult situation, while Will and Ashley are looking at ways they can continue building towards their futures. The show continues to have beautiful, authentic moments shared between a family that wants to do the right thing by each other, and makes every effort to keep moving forward.

Bel-Air Sometimes Makes Drama For Drama's Sake

However — and it may seem counterintuitive to call out the drama series for it's continued implementation of drama — for a drama to reach its full potential, it should feel as though the new problems are consequential to the characters and aligned with the story. For the most part, Bel-Air is effective at doing this, but there are occasional moments where it simply inserts tense situations and bad choices that feel out of character for some in a way that doesn't improve or develop the characters.

By and large, the characters, their situations and choices make sense. However, Bel-Air season 3 continues a pattern of making things more complicated than need be. As an example, Bel-Air makes characters like Hilary dramatically more intelligent and self-aware than her 1990s counterpart, yet the show still pushes her to make reckless and thoughtless mistakes.

If Bel-Air could more thoroughly dig into the characters and the reasons they make their decisions, rather than simply having each one follow a set pattern, it would add a great deal to the story. Still, the show evokes deeply emotional responses and introspection that make it worth tuning in to watch. And Bel-Air season 3's summer setting could make it the most fun season yet if the show can find a balance between drama and lighter moments in the remaining seven episodes.

The first three episodes of Bel-Air season 3 are available to stream on Peaco*ck. The remaining episodes will release weekly every Friday.

3.5

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A gritty and more grounded reimagining of the '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Bel-Air stars Jabari Banks as Will Smith. After falling afoul of a drug lord and his gang in his native West Philadelphia, Will Smith moves to a gated community in Bel-Air with his wealthy Aunt Vivian (Cassandra Freeman) and Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes). Not only must Will adjust to his new environment, but he's also forced to deal with his past in order to embrace his future.

Pros

• Akira Akbar, who plays Ashley, takes on a greater role in season 3, and she excels in it
• The show handles multiple storylines and characters in a way that is satisfying and avoids confusion

Cons

• In the course of building drama, some of the writing continues to make beloved characters act out