Creators: Andy and Susan Borowitz
Stars: Will Smith, James Avery, Janet Hubert Whitten (Daphne Maxwell Reid), Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons and Tatyana Ali.

The initial first show aired in September 1990 with this second series airing a year later, although not getting onto DVD until 2005.
This 4 disc set contains 24 episodes, (out of the 148 form the entire series) with the same old faces and the same old attitudes, only a lot more comical.

MAIN CHARACTERS

Will Smith (himself)is still the street wise teenage kid, originally from the tough streets of West Philadelphia who, as his mother was worried about him heading for a life of crime, is forced to live with his wealthy relations in a Bel Air mansion.
He is a typical loud mouth young man with attitude who believes he know what’s best for his life, usual to the annoyance of his rich uncle and others around him.
He has an eye for the ladies and really does think he is gods gift to them.

Philip Banks (James Avery) is Will’s rich uncle, starting as a being a high flying lawyer, then as a Judge, with a very ‘large’ personality. His no nonsense attitude to teenage delinquents is put to the test when Will arrives on the scene and he sees it as a challenge to control the feisty young man.
He is mainly seen as a miserable man, who dotes on his wife and kids, although he tries to teach his children the values of money he does tend to spoil his eldest daughter

Vivien (Janet Hubert-Whitten series 1-3/ Daphne Maxwell-Reid series 4-6) is the beautiful wife of Philip, working as a professor of black history and having a PHD.
She originally started as a career woman but as the show went on she turned into a homemaker, caring for her husband and children.

Hilary (Karyn Parsons) is Philip and Viviens eldest daughter who is a very spoilt young lady, demanding everything and anything from her parents, usually getting her own way with her father. She is seen as a bit of a bimbo and spends her time mainly pampering herself and shopping for the latest fashions, on daddies credit card of course.
She has no capabilities of taking care of herself and relies heavily on the mansions butler.

Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) is the slightly pompous son of the Vivien and Philip, with his selfish attitude and rather immature behaviour.
Although he tries to be cool in character he is soon showing his true colours with his love for Tom Jones songs and his very jittery dance steps.

Ashley (Tatyana Ali) is the youngest of the family, (until Vivien had another baby in later series) and loves spending time with her mother, that is until Will appears on the scene with his calm outlook on life, slowly changing her way of living.

Geoffrey Butler (Joseph Marcell) is the Banks’s household butler. He has a very calm attitude, which helps a lot considering the people he has to work for, and his proper use of the queens English, who seems to bond well with Will. He has a very dry sense of humour and enjoys making witty remarks, especially to Philip.
He has spent years as a butler for people such as Led Zeppelin and Chuck Norris.

Jazz (Jeffrey A. Townes) is Wills friend, who comes across as a very irritating person indeed, especially to Philip. He has a crush on Hilary and is always trying to get her to go on a date with him, with many disappointments.
He dresses a bit like a pimp and has a personality to match, much to the disgust of Philip, who, in many episodes deals with Jazz in a certain way.

BRIEF IDEA…

In the first series Will’s mother had shipped him off to her sisters house in Bel Air, aiming to get him a better education and a good start in life.
So with Will having settled into his new life with his rich relations in there huge mansion he still to creating a lot of hassle for everyone, especially his Uncle Phil, who tends to see raising Will as a challenge, due to his rather laid back attitude and ‘I don’t care’ attitude to life.
Uncle Phil, The big man of the house, although having taken an instant dislike to the new edition of the house, mainly due to the colourful way he dresses and the sarcastic one liners he comes out with, has actually lightened up on him, almost seeing him as his own son.
But once again, Uncle Phil is the least of Wills trouble as he has to contend with his cousin, Carlton, who, although a little older, is still a child in a mans body, with his bad dancing style and his love of Tom Jones songs, Will certainly has a lot to deal with in his new ready made family.

SERIES TWO… DVD

1) Did the earth move for you?
When Will and his new girlfriend become trapped after an Earthquake he soon realises that she is not what he first thought.

2) The Mother of all bets…
When Ashley is in bother at school she has to choose between Wills and Carlton’s advice.

3) Will gets a job…
Uncle Phil makes Will paranoid when he starts calling him Carlton, so he decides to do something about it.

4) PSATP story…
The aptitude tests are coming up and Carlton is in his usual panic, but why is Will so calm?

5) Granny gets Busy…
Phil’s mother is becoming a little close to a new man and Phil is not too happy about it.

6) Guess who’s coming to Marry…
Wills Aunt Janice is about to get married but when Will’s mother meets the groom she refuses to go to the wedding, but when she bans Will he is not very pleased.

7) The Big Four-oh…
It is coming up to Vivian’s birthday and she’s not happy about turning 40, so she looks back on her passed and her then dancing career.

8) She Ain’t heavy…
Will finds a new friend but her shape is putting him off asking her to the dance, but when he see her with another man the green eyed monster rears its head.

9) Cased up…
Hilary’s new man friend is everything Phil wants in a son-in-law, that is until a slight accident causes a few rifts in the house hold.

10) Hi Ho silver…
When things go missing from the banks’s house Will and Carlton are soon blaming the wrong people.

11) The Butler did it…
Philip and Vivian go away leaving the house in the capable hands of Carlton, only he has an idea of how too make a little extra money by renting it out to producers to shoot a music video… only things go a little wrong when the parents arrive home a little early.

12) Something for nothing…
A big win at a fund raiser night opens both Will and Philips eyes to what life is actually about.

13) Christmas Show…
When the family go on a skiing holiday they are soon left with nothing when their belongings are stolen, so they have to think of alternative present for the festive time of year

14) Hilary gets a life…
Philip is shocked by how much Hilary has spent on her credit card so he tells her to find her own way in life… leading to a lot of confusion for the hapless girl.

15) My Brother’s keeper…
Will is faced with a dilemma when he faces his opponent on a basketball court, knowing his love of winning could ruin a mans future.

16) Geoffrey cleans up…
When Geoffrey becomes involved with a woman he doesn’t realise just how special she really is.

17) Community Action…
Hilary is not too happy when she is ordered to do community service at a free clinic but soon cheers up when she meets the doctor in charge.

18) III Will…
Will’s frightened about his trip to the hospital for a tonsillectomy, making his feeling clear.
Meanwhile, the banks family are a little scared too, but only because Geoffrey is thinking of publishing his memoirs…

19) Eyes on the prize…
Will enters a game show but can’t decide who to take as a partner?

20) Those were the days…
When a teacher is sacked from the school Carlton and Will feel the need to take action, spurned on by one of Phil and Viv’ visiting friend.

21) Vying for attention…
Will mother has found a new boyfriend, much to Wills horror, thinking he may be losing her. Can he learn to like the new man?

22) The Aunt who came to dinner…
Will and Carlton have plans with a couple of French ladies but their plans are messed up when Aunt Helen pays a visit.

23) Be my Baby tonight…
Ashley has found a new man herself and is a little embarrassed from the attentions of her family, only Will is a little taken aback by some of her questions about relationship matters.

24) Strip tease for two…
Will and Carlton are forced to become strippers when the lose more than their shirts on a bad investment.

==Extras on this disc set==

Some best bits of the series and some very comical bloopers.

Special guest have included

Ronnie DeVoe, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins (formally of New Edition) and Allen Payne

IN CONCLUSION

Yet another great series of this brilliant sitcom which is still full of sarcastic one liners from the continuing combination of comical characters.
This series see Will seeming to become more part of the Banks family, almost becoming a taller version of Carlton in some episodes.

As the first series, this series is still full of a fantastic cast which the powers that be had the brains not to change, although they do bring in a few new characters as part of the extended family, but this just seems to add to the comedy of the show itself.
Smith and Rieiro are still the comedy double act of the show… a black version of little and large, or more laurel and Hardy… giving each episode their everything to bring out some fantastic one liners with the timing of a finely tuned Swiss quartz watch… especially as Carlton seems to becoming more ‘camp’ by the day.
But again, the rest of the family are needed to add to the hilarity of the show, with Avery still doing his grumpy act as the big guy with a sense of humour shortfall…and Whitten as his adoring, yet still alluringly feisty wife.
And not forgetting Parsons portrayal as the slightly naïve and very spoilt Hilary, with her love of all things to do with credit and shopping… although she does seem to be maturing slightly in this series, but only a little and not enough to spoil her stupidity likeability.
But the prize for the best one liners and pure dry wit has to go to Marcell for the way he makes Geoffrey such a hit as the butler with the no nonsense attitude and laid back mannerism.
And once again, the writers involved the very comical character of Townes as the ever so colourful yet slightly irritating Jazz, with his ability to fly out of the door, with Big Phil’s help of course.

In all, a great combination of characters to create yet another hilarious series…this entire show is definitely one of the best sitcoms ever made…( IMO anyway)
The second series is available on DVD from amazon for just under a tenner and has is nearly 10 hours of comically witty entertainment split onto 4 discs… well worth the money you’ll find.