How Bel-Air Repeats Fresh Prince’s Ashley Problem

WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Bel-Air episodes 1-3!

Bel-Air gives a more dramatic flair to Fresh Prince’s iconic characters, though still commits the same problem with Ashley Banks’ role. Ashley, now portrayed by Akira Akbar, is Will Smith’s youngest cousin in the Banks family, who still appears to be the relative most open to his arrival. The 12-year-old Bel-Air resident seems less outgoing than her Fresh Prince counterpart, but the reboot’s repetition of the original show’s problems keeps from fully exploring the new character’s personality.

In Fresh Prince’s original sitcom, Ashley was arguably the least-prominent Banks family member alongside their butler Geoffrey and – after the actress was recast – Aunt Viv. The series didn’t quite know how to use Ashley’s character, with her storylines typically based on Will being overprotective of her or her rebellious nature that was partially inspired by Will himself. Far more than Hilary and Carlton Banks, Fresh Prince struggled in finding proper ways to include Tatyana Ali’s Ashley in the central storylines, especially once she became a teenager.

While Bel-Air has found compelling ways to give Fresh Prince’s characters more emotional depth and complexities, the reboot has yet to improve on one of the original’s lacking character developments. In Bel-Air’s hour-long drama series, Ashley has only been featured in a handful of scenes for the first three episodes, with only a few lines that give no indication of her new characterization. While Ashley is still seen as the first person to truly accept Will into the Banks’ mansion by how she greets him in Bel-Air episode 1, she feels fairly disconnected from the family’s conflicts. Just like in Fresh Prince, Bel-Air season 1 seems unsure about how to handle Ashley. However, the series hasn’t focused on the drama contained to the Banks household quite yet, as the first three episodes largely take place at school and outside events where Ashley wasn’t present.

One aspect of Ashley’s character that Bel-Air has yet to explore is how close she was to Will, especially in how protective he was over her. When Will first arrived at Bel-Air in Fresh Prince, he felt disconnected in the same way he does in the reboot, but he developed a close connection to Ashley, who found his rebellious nature a fun alternative to her family’s typical environment. Since Hilary was fairly vain and Carlton was too conservative, Ashley didn’t find a true role model within her family until Will moved in, which contributed to a lovable dynamic between both Fresh Prince characters. Bel-Air has yet to explore this relationship between Will and Ashley, which is a shame because it proved in Fresh Prince that Will had someone he could be comfortable around, even if it was just his 12-year-old cousin.

As Ashley grew up, had her first boyfriends, and turned increasingly rebellious in Fresh Prince, Will always acted like a protective older brother to her, though these storylines would often focus on Will’s perspective of the situation rather than Ashley’s. Instead of using Ashley as a way for Will to feel better connected to his distant family and community, Bel-Air is repeating Fresh Prince’s frustrations by not giving Ashley an active role in his adjustment. Since Bel-Air season 1 is largely showcasing Will’s isolation and ostracization in his move to the mansions of Los Angeles, it does make sense why Ashley is being put on the sidelines for his initial transition. As Will becomes more comfortable in his surroundings and hopefully solves his issues with Carlton, who hates him far more than he did in Fresh Prince, Bel-Air will hopefully get to a place where Ashley can fulfill her role as Will’s little sister figure.

New episodes of Bel-Air drop Thursdays on Peacock.

About The Author

Jordan Williams
(809 Articles Published)

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Jordan Williams is a Movie/TV Feature Senior Staff Writer for Screen Rant. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Media Studies.

Jordan is based in Seattle, Washington and enjoys exploring the natural beauty the PNW has to offer. She runs on coffee and classic movies, taking pride in having watched every film on AFI’s 100 Greatest Films list and every Best Picture Oscar winner.

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