Alfonso Ribeiro shares his thoughts on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot: ‘This is a totally different show’

Star played Carlton in original Nineties series

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro has shared his thoughts on the show’s reboot.

In August 2020, it was announced that a revival of the NBC sitcom is in the works.

In a new interview, Ribeiro – who played Carlton in the original Nineties series – told E! News: “I like to call it a reimagining. We sometimes throw a lot of things into one word, one concept. A reboot would be taking the actual show and characters and bringing it back. This is a totally different show.”

The star added: “It’s not even based on the show. It’s based on the theme song. It’s a completely different thing. It’s drama. It’s not comedy. I have nothing to do with it so I don’t really know anything more… But I actually appreciate it even more than a reboot. Let’s take a concept and turn it into a different show.”

“I’m like, roll the dice," he said. “Go ahead and try it and see what happens.”

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Reflecting on how intense it was filming the original series, he said: “You definitely had to be on. We actually would shoot an entire show in under two hours… We got it right on take one.”

The sitcom originally ran from 1990 to 1996 and launched the career of Will Smith, who played a street-smart teenager who moves to live with his wealthy uncle and aunt in their Bel-Air mansion.

The cast included Janet Hubert, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M Ali, Daphne Reid and the late James Avery,

Last year, the show’s cast appeared in a televised reunion special to discuss their time on The Fresh Prince. This included working with Avery, who died in 2013 aged 68.

During one particularly emotional moment, Smith teared up as he described how the late actor had always “pushed” him to be the best and use his position to “elevate your craft”.