Exclusive: Showrunner/ Executive Producer Carla Banks Waddles talks Bel-Air Season 3
Now playing on Peacock is the third season of its series Bel-Air, starring Jabari Banks (Will), Adrian Holmes (Phillip Banks), Cassandra Freeman (Vivian Banks), Olly Sholotan (Carlton Banks), Coco Jones (Hilary Banks), Akira Akbar (Ashley Banks), Jimmy Akingbola (Geoffrey), Jordan L. Jones (Jazz), and Simone Joy Jones (Lisa).
Set in modern-day Los Angeles, Peacock’s successful one-hour drama series Bel-Air imagines the beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air through a new, dramatic take on Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.
As these two worlds collide, Will reckons with the power of second chances while navigating the conflicts, emotions, and biases of a world far different from the only one he’s ever known. Inspired by Morgan Cooper’s viral trailer that reimagined the iconic, culture-defining ‘90s sitcom, Bel-Air takes a fresh and raw approach to this world of swagger, style, and aspiration, while exploring Will’s complex journey through a current lens.
In Season 3, school’s out for the summer, and Will (Jabari Banks) is doing Bel-Air his way. Being a part of the Banks family has given him a new perspective - it isn’t just about wealth, it means that Will now has options to lean into other things that excite him and has the privilege to dream bigger.
For Carla Banks Waddles, who started as an co-executive producer and then promoted to executive producer and showrunner since Season 2, the third season is somewhat of a reset. Peacock had given the series a two-season order in 2020 before it premiere in 2022. The third season wasn’t renewed til March 2023. Her work has won an NAACP award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series.
She had previously written and produced over a dozen television shows including That’s So Raven, Half & Half, Hit The Floor and Good Girls.
Blackfilmandtv.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with Waddles about what to expect in the third season.