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.
Related: Bel-Air: Why Is He Still Called Will Smith If It's Not Will Smith?
While Bel-Air has found compelling ways to giveFresh 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
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