There’s a change at the helm of Bel-Air. Chris Collins has stepped down as showrunner and executive producer of Peacock‘s drama reboot of the 1990s Will Smith sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson, whose credits include The Chi and The 100, will take over as co-showrunners, Deadline has confirmed.
The hourlong series, based on Morgan Cooper’s popular fan film that reenvisions the original series, hails from Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal Television. It received a two-season order in September 2020.
Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air is a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90’s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that leans into the original premise: Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show.
The series also is executive produced by Will Smith, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina and Andy & Susan Borowitz. Westbrook Studios, a division of Westbrook Inc., and Universal TV, which owns copyright to the original series, will serve as the studios.
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THR was first to report the showrunner change.
