10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’
NBC was satisfied with the ending and there were no plans to bring the show back. But after the cancellation was announced, fans were outraged. They started to send angry letters to the studio, which forced NBC to renew the series for two more seasons.
Something similar happened to the CBS show Jericho. It was canceled after just one season, but after fans sent over 20 tons of nuts to CBS headquarters, they decided to bring the show back for a seven-episode second season. Sadly, the ratings didn’t improve much, but it’s currently ranked as one of TV Guide‘s Top Cult Shows Ever.
No. 6 – Will Smith Didn’t Like His Performance In Season One
Will Smith claims his early performances on the show were terrible. He’s not proud of them, mainly because he was still learning how to act. As we mentioned earlier, he was known only as a rapper before the show. He used to memorize the entire script, even his cast-mates line, so he wouldn’t forget his own.
“I would memorize the entire script, then I’d be lipping everybody’s lines while they were talking. When I watch those episodes, it’s disgusting. My performances were horrible.”
You can click here to watch some highlights from season one. If you watch closely, maybe you’ll be able to see what he’s talking about.
No. 5 – But He Got Better…
We all know what clip the image you see above is from. The emotional ending of the season four Papa’s Got A Brand New Excuse episode had millions of people crying. It’s STILL making people cry. Apparently, Will Smith’s speech at the end of the episode was unscripted. James Avery (Philip) was so impressed and moved by the speech that he immediately hugged him and knocked off his hat, which wasn’t in the script either.
There was a rumor going around that Smith got the passion for that scene from his troubled relationship with his real father; however, that rumor was busted years ago.
No. 4 – The Secret Diary
In an interview with ABC News, Karyn Parsons (Hilary Banks) revealed that she and her co-stars had a secret journal they would hide on set.
“In the kitchen, there was a drawer in the island that had a little diary. Every now and then a camera person or the actors, somebody would just write silly poetry or ‘James is getting on my nerves.’ We would make little notes.”
She also said she was able to grab the notebook before she left the set for the final time.
