Bel-Air’s Aunt Viv Change Fixes Her Original Fresh Prince Problems
WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Bel-Air episode 7!
Aunt Viv is on a journey of her own with her art career in Bel-Air, which is a refreshing change that fixes her character’s problems in Fresh Prince. While Aunt Viv was initially set up as an important, integral character to Will Smith’s story in Fresh Prince, she was slowly pushed to the background of the major conflicts, especially after season 3 when Aunt Viv’s actress was recast. The second Aunt Viv was noticeably different from her original Fresh Prince character, but Bel-Air’s version brings back the best of both Aunt Vivs and makes her an even stronger presence.
Bel-Air season 1 is particularly focused on giving Fresh Prince’s original characters more emotional depth and complexity, such as Geoffrey essentially being Uncle Phil’s “fixer” and introducing an arc in which Ashley’s changed character explores her LGTBQ+ identity. The Bel-Air character closest to their Fresh Prince counterparts is Will, though Aunt Viv’s personality remains very similar to that of the first Vivian Banks. That said, Bel-Air has dug much deeper into Aunt Viv’s character than Fresh Prince, and ultimately fixes where the original sitcom went wrong with her role.
Related: Bel-Air Introduces A Major Ashley Change From Her Fresh Prince Version
Portrayed by Cassandra Freeman in Bel-Air, the new Aunt Viv has been heavily featured in the reboot series, and not just in terms of supporting other characters’ storylines. The original Aunt Viv ended up being largely confined to the background as a supporting character, with the majority of her storylines only being featured in terms of another Fresh Prince character’s conflict or what was occurring within the Banks family’s home. While the new Aunt Viv is
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