The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
NBC's six-season hit brought hip-hop culture to mainstream network TV, launching Will Smith from music-industry crisis to acting stardom. A sitcom pitched by music manager Benny Medina about his own rags-to-riches story, it gave the world one of the most recited theme songs ever — and Alfonso Ribeiro's Carlton Dance defined a generation's pop-culture moves.
The Fresh Prince premiered on NBC in September 1990, created by Andy and Susan Borowitz after Benny Medina pitched a sitcom based on his own story of rising from Watts to Beverly Hills. Will Smith, facing roughly $2.8 million in IRS troubles and income garnishment, took the starring role after an impromptu audition at a December 1989 party at Quincy Jones's house. Quincy Jones signed on as executive producer, lending prestige and star power to the venture.
The theme song — rapped by Smith and produced with DJ Jazzy Jeff — was written and recorded in about 15 minutes, yet it became one of the most recited TV themes in history. The show's six seasons (148 episodes through May 1996) introduced two actresses as Aunt Viv (Janet Hubert in seasons 1–3, then Daphne Maxwell Reid from 1993) and locked in Carlton's signature dance to Tom Jones's "It's Not Unusual" as a pop-culture touchstone. Widely credited with bringing hip-hop to network television and launching Smith's acting career.
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