‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Drama Reboot at Peacock Changes Showrunners

Joe Otterson
·2 min read
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The showrunner on Peacock’s drama reboot of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” has stepped down, Variety has confirmed.

Chris Collins will no longer serve as showrunner and executive producer on the series, which is titled “Bel-Air.” He was also set to co-write with Morgan Cooper. Instead, T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson have stepped in to serve as co-showrunners. The pair has previously worked together on shows like “The Chi,” “Animal Kingdom,” “Shooter,” and “The 100.”

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“Bel-Air” is based on the viral video by Cooper, which reimagined the beloved Will Smith-led sitcom as a drama series. Peacock gave the show a two-season order back in September 2020.

Morgan remains onboard the show as writer, director, and co-executive producer. Smith will executive produce via Westbrook Studios along with Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and original series creators Andy and Susan Borowitz. Miguel Melendez and Westbrook Studios’ Terence Carter will also executive produce. Westbrook Studios and Universal Television will produce. UTV was the studio behind the original show as well.

Set in modern-day America, “Bel-Air” is a serialized one-hour dramatic reimagining of the ’90’s sitcom that leans into the original premise: Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.

At this time, no cast members have been announced for the series and it is unknown if any of the original series cast members will appear. The show has drawn major interest, however, with Smith championing the project behind the scenes. It was the subject of a major bidding war before ultimately landing at Peacock.

The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news of the showrunner change.

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