Bel-Air has to be one of the most weirdly familial series audiences have ever seen. Bel-Air is based on a brilliant 1990a sitcom titled The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which starred Will Smith in the lead role. Peacock’s Bel-Air is a dramatic version of the sitcom and while it will never reach the heights of the original show’s popularity it has gathered enough fans to get Peacock to renew the series for Season 3. So, while you wait for the new season to come out here are some similar shows you could watch until then.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Hulu, Max & Paramount+)
Synopsis: Will Smith stars as a teenager from inner city Philadelphia who’s sent to California to live in with his wealthy relatives in the hopes that they will “straighten him out and teach him some good old-fashioned values,” but Will soon takes his rightful place as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
The O.C. (Hulu & Max)
Synopsis: Glamour. Glitz. Schemes. Dreams. The O.C. is the place to be. The complete series is yours in this extras-loaded DVD set. Outsider Ryan, quick-witted Seth, girls-next-door Summer and Marissa and more – all the characters you love (or sometimes love to hate) are here in episodes alive with laughs and drama, indie bands and Chrismukkah, and featuring real insights into teens and parents, what’s in and what matters, growing up and moving on. There’s nothing like a day at the beach. Catch every wave!
Our Kind of People (Rent on Prime Video)
Synopsis: A single mom sets out to reclaim her family’s name and discovers a dark secret that will shake a community forever.
All American (Netflix)
Synopsis: Spencer James is a rising high school football player and A student at South Crenshaw High. Compton is the place he calls home. But when Beverly High School’s football coach Billy Baker recruits him to join his team in Beverly Hills, Spencer’s mother, Grace, and his best friend, Coop, convince Spencer it’s an opportunity he must seize. Spencer navigates two worlds, the south side neighborhood that he knows and the affluent Beverly Hills world that has offered him an opportunity for something bigger. When Spencer is forced to move in with Billy and his family to protect his transfer permit to Beverly, he struggles to find his footing. The series is Inspired by the life of NFL player Spencer Paysinger.
David Makes Man (Max)
Synopsis: David Makes Man is a drama from Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (“Moonlight”), that centers on a 14-year-old prodigy from the projects who is haunted by the death of his closest friend and relied on by his hardworking mother to find a way out of poverty. He must choose between the streets that raised him or the higher education that may offer him a way out. Set in South Florida, the series is inspired by events in McCraney’s own life, and explores childhood trauma and the power of imagination to survive.
On My Block (Netflix)
Synopsis: On My Block, co-created by Lauren Iungerich (Awkward), Eddie Gonzalez & Jeremy Haft, is a coming of age comedy about four bright and street-savvy friends navigating their way through the triumph, pain and the newness of high-school set in LA’s South Central neighborhood.
Everybody Hates Chris (Hulu, Paramount+ & Peacock)
Synopsis: Inspired by Chris Rock’s outrageous experiences growing up in 1980s Brooklyn, this heartwarming series captures the legendary comedian’s painfully funny teenage years. Experience all the hilarity as Chris struggles to fit in at high school while also supervising his younger siblings for his hard-working parents.
Dear White People (Netflix)
Synopsis: The unexpected election of activist Samantha White (Tessa Thompson) as head of a traditionally black residence hall sets up a college campus culture war that challenges conventional notions of what it means to be black. While Sam leverages her notoriety as host of the provocative and polarizing radio show “Dear White People” to try to prevent the college from diversifying Armstrong Parker House, outgoing head-of-house Troy Fairbanks (Brandon P. Bell), son of the university’s dean (Dennis Haysbert), defies his father’s lofty expectations by applying to join the staff of Pastiche, the college’s influential humor magazine. Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams), an Afro-sporting sci-fi geek, is recruited by the otherwise all-white student newspaper to go undercover and write about black culture—a subject he knows little about—while the aggressively assimilated Coco Conners (Teyonah Parris) tries to use the controversy on campus to carve out a career in reality TV. But no one at Winchester University is prepared for Pastiche’s outrageous, ill-conceived annual Halloween party, with its “unleash your inner Negro” theme throwing oil on an already smoldering fire of resentment and misunderstanding. When the party descends into riotous mayhem, everyone must choose a side.
