It’s no surprise that people have been craving a little bit of nostalgia lately. It’s nice to remember a time when the world didn’t feel like such a mess, and the most important thing was making sure you caught the full lineup of TGIF programming. There were plenty of family sitcoms back in the 1990s, and these shows were always filled with tons of laughs and heartwarming moments. Whether you couldn’t miss an episode of Family Matters, Full House, or Saved by the Bell, there was never a shortage of entertaining television. If you’re yearning for a little bit of that sentimental, yet silly humor, there’s one more wholesome ’90s sitcom that can satisfy that need and is currently racing up the Apple TV store charts.
What Is ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ About?
If you somehow managed to miss watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air when it aired from 1990 to 1996, now is the perfect time to binge it. When it originally aired on NBC, the sitcom was a huge hit, running for six seasons (and 148 episodes!) of pure fun. With one of the most famous and memorable theme songs and opening scenes, Fresh Prince sets up its delightful story. Will Smith plays a character of the same name who is growing up in West Philadelphia. When the teen runs into some trouble after playing a game of basketball, Will’s mother insists that he leave the neighborhood to escape any danger.
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
Will is sent to live with the Banks family, led by his uber-wealthy Uncle Phil (James Avery) and his Aunt Vivian (Janet Hubert-Whitten for Seasons 1 through 3; Daphne Maxwell Reid was recast in the role for the final three seasons). The two fill in as parents for Will, with a stern, yet loving manner of discipline and guidance. Their children also provide lots of storylines. There’s the spoiled, shallow Hilary (Karyn Parsons); goofy, straight-laced Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro); and the sweet-natured and easily influenced Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali). The Banks family lives in a huge mansion in the wealthy neighborhood of Bel-Air, California, and the household is run by the snarky British butler, Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell). Will must traverse this new lifestyle, as well as the normal coming-of-age battles every teenager must face.
‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Is a Fun-Filled, Nostalgic Binge-Watch
Despite Fresh Prince being in the style of the somewhat dated multi-cam sitcom with a live studio audience, the show still holds up remarkably well. The pilot episode is a perfect introduction to exactly what type of tone the show will use: a fantastic blend of light-hearted humor with some more serious themes thrown in. While there is still dopey (now iconic) dancing from Carlton and snide one-liners delivered by Geoffrey, Fresh Prince is a much more noteworthy sitcom because it also highlights fascinating issues like Black male identity, racial profiling, and class differences. An episode like “Blood Is Thicker Than Mud” in Season 4 is a powerful glimpse at code-switching, all within the framework of the traditional sitcom. Many claim that the best episode of the series is “Papa’s Got a Brand-New Excuse” in Season 4, which gave Smith a chance to dive into intense emotional territory after his character’s father returns and then abandons him once again. By blending both humor and somber themes, Fresh Prince teaches valuable lessons between some of the laughs.
Watching Fresh Prince today offers an exciting look at Smith back in the early days of his career. Smith creates a protagonist who is relatable and endearing, while still being the vehicle for presenting thought-provoking themes. It’s easy to see Smith’s skills grow with each season, and it’s no surprise the Oscar winner would go on to star in high-caliber projects like Ali and King Richard. While none of the other cast members’ careers went on to reach the same heights, the series does offer a bevy of guest stars with everyone from Tyra Banks and Malcolm Jamal-Warner to Queen Latifah and Oprah making appearances. Each episode is also a fun blast-to-the-past with the music, fashions, and celebrities of our pre-millennium lives.
With a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score and a rising spot on the streaming charts, Fresh Prince is a perfect option for binge-watching if you’re looking for an escape. The sitcom also inspired a drama that re-imagines Will’s journey in a four-season series called Bel-Air, which aired on Peacock from 2022 to 2025. Although this is a high-quality drama, nothing beats the original, which you should add to your binge-watch list right away.
