‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Reunion Coming to HBO Max

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans are in luck, as the show will be taking a trip down memory lane soon. According to Entertainment Weekly, a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion special is set to come to HBO Max. This unscripted special, which will mark the show’s 30th anniversary, is set to air sometime around Thanksgiving.

The entire Banks family will reportedly get back together for this special. Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, and Daphne Maxwell Reid (who took over the role of Vivian Banks in 1993) will all appear during this reunion. DJ Jazzy Jeff, who had a recurring role on the sitcom, is also expected to be a part of the special event. According to an official description for the special, the actors will come together for “a funny and heartfelt night full of music, dancing, and special surprise guests, in honor of the series that ran for six seasons and 148 episodes.” Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s media company, Westbrook Media, is developing the special. The reunion will film on Sept. 10, which marks the actual 30th anniversary of the series’ premiere. It will be directed by Marcus Roboy and will be executive produced by showrunner Rikki Hughes, Miguel Melendez, Lukas Kaiser, and Brad Haugen.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast has reunited in the past. They did so recently on Smith’s Snapchat series Will From Home in April. Ribeiro, Ali, Parsons, Reid, Marcell, and DJ Jazzy Jeff all joined for the two-part episode. At the time, the cast paid tribute to late actor James Avery, who starred as patriarch Phillip Banks on the show. He passed away in 2014 at the age of 68 from complications due to open-heart surgery. Smith said during their mini-reunion, “Our show wouldn’t have been HALF what it was without the talent and light that was James Avery. We all love and miss you, James.” He also confessed at another point during the episode, “That just makes me teary. It’s the first couple times that I’m seeing clips of James.”

Prior to that reunion, Ali told PopCulture.com in January that she “would totally want” to do a more formal Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion. “I know there are cast members that would be open to it,” she explained. “I think for all of us… French Prince had six seasons, and it was so culturally just on point, I guess all the episodes still hold up. So, I think it really is about what storyline we could do now, that would make it feel as good as it did then.” Of course, the cast will indeed get to reunite for this upcoming HBO Max special officially.