The BEST seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Every season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!

A wealthy family living in Bel-Air, California, receives a dubious gift from their poorer relations in Philadelphia when Will Smith arrives as The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. Will shatters the sophisticated serenity of Bel-Air with his streetwise common sense, much to the dismay of his upper-crust uncle, Philip Banks, Aunt Vivian and three conceited cousins, Carlton, Hilary and Ashley - and butler Geoffrey. As the Banks family opens their home - and their checkbook - to their needy relative, Will adapts easily to their indulgent lifestyle. Yet, he reminds everyone that the simplest pleasures of family life can't be bought at any price.

Last Updated: 1/11/2024Network: NBCStatus: Ended
Share:
Season 1
star
7.83
154 votes

#1 - Season 1

First Aired 9/11/1990

Will Smith is revealed to be a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia, who is sent to live with his wealthy relatives at their Bel Air, Los Angeles mansion. His relatives include Phillip Banks, Will's strict and gruff uncle, and Vivian Banks, Will's no-nonsense, forthright, and career-minded aunt. Other members of the Banks family include Carlton Banks, Will's preppy and arrogant cousin, Hilary Banks, Will's attractive but dumb, eldest cousin, Ashley Banks, Will's youngest cousin, and Geoffrey, the family's cynical English Butler. Will's lifestyle often clashes with that of his relatives there, and frequently got him or other members of the family into trouble as well.

Season 4
star
7.83
93 votes

#2 - Season 4

First Aired 9/21/1993

Charming and cocky Will continues his reign as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the fourth fast-paced season of this hit family comedy with heart. Will (Will Smith) and Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) are living large at college — even though they live in their family’s pool house. When they’re not hunting the honeys, like the superhot Jackie (Tyra Banks), the boys pledge a fraternity, where Will finds out that racism cuts both ways. At home, Will sneaks the dieting Philip (James Avery) some snacks, not realizing he’s endangering his uncle’s life. And Ashley (Tatyana Ali) breaks out of her childhood shell in a big way by undergoing an extremely sexy makeover, exploring the dating world and demanding some “Respect” from her parents by belting out the classic song. Donald Trump, Hugh Hefner, Dick Clark, Ben Vereen (Roots), Robert Guillaume (Benson), Pam Grier (Jackie Brown), jazzman Branford Marsalis and Boys II Men guest star in this laugh-filled 26-episode season of the freshest show around.

Season 3
star
7.80
109 votes

#3 - Season 3

First Aired 9/15/1992

Season three of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air finds Will (Will Smith) firmly entrenched in the Banks family, having traded his rough-and-tumble Philadelphia youth for posh surroundings in Bel-Air. This year, Will hip-hops over to the same prep school as Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) and starts scoping out colleges. While Will tries to work his mojo on reluctant Monique (Kim Fields, Living Single), Hilary (Karyn Parsons) breaks into show business and learns some hard lessons. But the kids aren’t the only ones riding life’s highs and lows. Philip (James Avery) jumps into the race for superior court judge, opposing his sleazy but powerful former mentor (Sherman Hemsley, The Jeffersons). And Vivian (Janet Hubert-Whitten) surprises everyone by announcing that she’s pregnant! Also appearing in this hilarious and poignant season are Oprah Winfrey, Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), comic D.L. Hughley, singer Tom Jones and boxer Riddick Bowe. All 24 episodes are fresh — and ready for your enjoyment.

Season 2
star
7.77
114 votes

#4 - Season 2

First Aired 9/10/1991

The prince is back and fresher than ever! In the second season of this inspiring comedy, as the Banks family continues to adjust to Will living with them in Bel-Air, they find themselves questioning how they live in the process. Meanwhile, Will’s fear of becoming like his uptight Uncle Philip and his preppy cousin Carlton prompts him to take drastic action to make sure this doesn’t happen. Race relations become a hot topic in the Banks household when Will’s mother, Vy (guest star Vernee Watson-Johnson, Southland; Sister, Sister), has trouble accepting that her sister Janice (guest star Charlayne Woodard, ER) is marrying a Caucasian man. And Philip and Vivian’s past returns with open arms when a Sixties radical is invited into their home. Hilarity and heart combine in the second season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Guest stars this season include Nicholle Tom (The Nanny), Allen Payne (House of Payne) and members of New Edition Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe.

Season 6
star
7.72
89 votes

#5 - Season 6

First Aired 9/19/1995

Television’s freshest comedy, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, hits its stride in its sixth and final season. After Will (Will Smith) becomes Hilary's (Karyn Parsons) talent coordinator, her show goes national and she is lured to New York, where Ashley (Tatyana Ali) hopes to model. When Philip (James Avery) presides over a high-profile Hollywood case, his ambition almost ruins his marriage. In the series finale, he shows the house to prospective buyers played by classic sitcom stars Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford and Marla Gibbs (The Jeffersons), and Gary Coleman and Conrad Bain (Diff'rent Strokes). With their home sold, the Banks parents head east to be closer to Ashley and Hilary; butler Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell) moves to London; Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) attends Princeton; and Will looks forward to his post-college future. Chris Rock, Wayne Newton, Dick Clark, B.B. King, Jay Leno, William Shatner, Regis Philbin, Richard Roundtree and Jaleel White (Family Matters) also guest star.

Season 5
star
7.67
89 votes

#6 - Season 5

First Aired 9/20/1994

Will Smith stars in the continuing story of a kid whose life got twisted upside-down when he became the Prince of Bel-Air. In Season 5 of Fresh Prince, Will (Smith) meets Lisa (Nia Long) — and before you can say “Go slow, bro,” he’s in love, engaged, and standing before the minister with 50 pounds of iced shrimp melting in the banquet hall. All that romance must be contagious, because Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) finds his soul sister through online dating. Unfortunately, that’s only half right. It’s Hilary (Karyn Parsons). And there’s a lot more than love going on as Will grapples with a big orange whale, a mobster, a bear, Jay Leno, Lisa’s cantankerous dad, and in one of the series’ most memorable episodes, a bullet with his name on it. Get ready for laugh-out-loud fun!