Bel-Air‘s new showrunner shares her vision for season 2

When Peacock announced its dramatic revival of the The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, based on Morgan Cooper’s viral short, there was a collective hesitation. Could this new series manage to stand out among a bunch of nostalgic, often-uninspired reboots? It took several episodes, but the first season of Bel-Air ended up doing just that, evolving from a soapy reimagining—Will gets arrested, Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv are sexy, Carlton’s an asshole—into its own distinct universe that brings the themes and iconic moments of Fresh Prince to unexpected places (while still being loaded with Easter eggs, of course). Now, following successful ratings for the show’s first outing, comes another important question: Can the creative team behind this new version of the Banks family carry their vision through several seasons?

For the sophomore batch of episodes (and after a fair amount of staff turnover), veteran TV writer Carla Banks Waddles stepped into the showrunner role. Previously a writer and co-executive producer on the show, Banks Waddles started out her career working on beloved network comedies like That’s So Raven and Half & Half before transitioning into dramatic series, including NBC’s hour-long drama Good Girls, where she was an EP. Now, at Bel-Air, she’s aiming to dig deeper into the show’s distinct mix of serious topical discussions and complex family love.

With season two of the series in full swing—it premiered with three episodes on February 23—The A.V. Club spoke with Banks Waddles about her experience in comedies and dramas, her vision for the Bel-Air, and how she incorporates Fresh Prince stars and moments into the series.

Carla Banks Waddles: Yeah, it’s always interesting to see what people respond to and what they don’t respond to. People definitely loved the Hilary-Jazz relationship. It’s so different from the original series dynamic, where Hilary was like, “No, thank you.” In this version, she was curious and open to what Jazz had to offer, and people loved that. So definitely in season two, we wanted to play with that relationship a little more and be open to the idea of where Jazz and Hilary might go and throw some troublemaking into that scenario. There was also the response to Carlton in the first season; people love him but love to hate him. He ended the season in a better space about Will, and people were eager to get to more of the friendship between these two characters. It was a slow burn in season one, but we wanted to come back season two and see what it would look like if Carlton and Will tried to be friends, and if they tried to be there for each other knowing that they’re very different boys. So we’ll give a little of that this season. It won’t be perfect, but we’ll watch them try.

AVC: That’s been one of the interesting things about this reimagining. The dynamics between characters have room to be different from the original and grow. How much do you have to stay true to the heart of the original series and how much do you allow for big changes, like Carlton to be an antagonist?

CBW: While developing the first season, there was a lot of consideration of that balance of the old and the new. People were skeptical about us getting back in with this Banks family and trying to reimagine them because they were so important to so many people. I think people were just nervous about what we were gonna do with them. So part of season one was trying to remain true to the heartbeat of who that family was and the things that we all loved about them and just how they felt like a real family. We’re keeping that as the foundation for this family: that they love each other and support each other no matter what. So they might fight; they don’t get along; they disagree. But they’re a family. Beyond that core, you know, the world is our oyster, so we were able to take some risks creatively with season one, especially when it came to the character of Carlton, and people got on board with the ride.

AVC: You have experience with sitcoms like Half & Half and dramas like Good Girls. Transforming Fresh Prince from a sitcom into this drama kind of mirrors your experience in Hollywood. So how does your knowledge of both genres come together when you’re working on Bel-Air?

CBW: Yeah, that’s a great question. I definitely started my career in half-hour multi-camera comedy, which obviously the original series was, and then making that transition into one-hour. I feel like this soapy-family space is the perfect space for me to operate in. Yes, it’s a drama, and yes, it’s heavy, but it’s also fun, and there are comedic moments with these characters, and [we’re] able to keep it light. We find places to make some jokes, but it’s heavy when it’s heavy, you know? It’s sort of this perfect world of both those things happening. I feel like that’s me bringing that comedic side into it and trying to find that balance with the show and these characters. ’Cause people still wanna laugh and have fun and have some joy while also going into some dark places. It’s a tricky balance.

AVC: In addition to that balance between light and dark, there are also the social issues that the show touches on as far as Black culture and being Black people in predominantly white spaces. There’s an important protest storyline this season. How do you decide which bigger societal issues to handle?

CBW: Yeah, you know, they’re a Black family. They have money and all the trappings of wealth, but at the end of the day they’re a Black family. So for the writers, it’s just like, what are the conversations we’re all having at home that feel authentic to the conversations that this family would be having? What are the things that are important to this family that just feel authentic to who they are? Even in Uncle Phil’s job, we saw him running for district attorney in season one. Coming back in season two, we really wanted to see what he was doing before he decided to run, and having this Black law firm that he started from the ground up with three Black friends of his, which became one of the top African-American law firms in the country. We find ways to have these nuanced conversations because of who these characters are and what’s important to them, and we try to find a way to do it where it doesn’t feel like an issue of the week or too heavy-handed.

AVC: For me, Uncle Phil was even more of a polarizing character than Carlton because he seemed like very much a blank slate. His whole thing of not knowing how to handle Will, in this dramatic arc, becomes more than just the disapproving-dad comedy trope. How do you envision Uncle Phil will deal with raising kids as he goes through life with this rigid my-way-or-the-highway attitude?

CBW: Uncle Phil’s parenting style is very old school, very traditional, “do as I say, not as I do,” and “children should be seen and not heard”—although he is trying. Aunt Viv is very much “we need to listen to what they have to say, let’s be open to their opinions and thoughts,” and he thinks he’s doing the right thing by being that traditional old school dad. I think he’s learning, because Will is there. There is listening and a back and forth; there are apologies that need to happen from his side, too, and he doesn’t always have the answers. Having Will in that house is going to change Uncle Phil in ways and challenge him. You see him grow and evolve over the season trying to raise a kid like Will, who is in a very distrustful place about Uncle Phil at the beginning of the season. Uncle Phil wants him to come back because there’s love there. He also wants to sort of rule with an iron fist but knows that this kid might not be receptive to that right now. He’s trying to find that balance of giving a little more leeway and freedom than he normally does to these kids. But there’s also, “You need to do what I say ’cause I know what’s best for you,” you know? I think he always thinks he’s doing the right thing, but maybe just doesn’t go about it the right way.

AVC: It’s very interesting to see that Will is spending time in South L.A. and reverting back to who he was before he came to Bel-Air. How does Will’s discovery that his parental figures were keeping that huge secret from him propel his motivations going forward?

CBW: Yeah, it was a big trauma for him at the end of last season. He came to Bel-Air and just jumped in to see what it had to offer. But then the season ended in a very fractured way with the family, specifically [with] Uncle Phil. He really saw Uncle Phil first as his father figure and he said, “I don’t even need to know about my father ’cause you’re that guy for me.” So coming to the end of season one, realizing that he might not be that guy, it was deep for him. So we knew we wanted to come back in season two and not just gloss over that betrayal. We’d have him come back because they’re family, but he’s gonna come back different, a little more guarded. He’s trying to figure out things for himself and not be so quick to accept the advice that Uncle Phil or even Aunt Viv is trying to give him because he’s scared. He doesn’t want that to happen to him again, which causes him to gravitate to other father-figure types. We have a new character of Doc this season, played by Brooklyn McLinn, coming in and showing how that South L.A. influence is very similar to West Philly. Will is really gravitating to that ’cause that feels more like who he is and how he grew up. But Uncle Phil is nervous about that influence because he wants to be that father figure. He wants to be that influence, but he also knows that he has to earn it back. It really is a nice push-pull fight for Will’s soul between these two father figures all season.

AVC: One aspect that’s very interesting to me is that you have the West Philly way of doing things versus the Bel-Air way. But neither of them are presented as like the be-all, end-all. You present and understand both and how society reacts to both. I’m interested in what you think Will’s journey and adolescence going forward will be like, considering those two places.

CBW: I think that’s exactly the journey that he goes on this season: questioning how to hold onto both parts of himself and then realizing that maybe it’s not about holding onto the pieces. It’s just about creating the narrative for himself and not necessarily looking to other people to create that. As he becomes a young man, it’s time for him to step into who he’s going to be. I would love to see him after this season onwards say, “Okay, I’m here, I’m Bel-Air. There’s West Philly in here too, but it’s not a battle. It’s just all of who I am.” I’d like to really see him be here, both feet on the ground and ready to thrive, deciding to fully be present.

AVC: Several Fresh Prince stars appear in guest roles this season after Daphne Maxwell Reid had the moment with the old Aunt Viv and the new Aunt Viv last season. How has that process been, incorporating the stars from Bel-Air’s predecessor into this new world?

CBW: We always start in the writers’ room from the creative standpoint of, what are the stories we’re going to tell and what are the other characters as we expand this world? For the teacher Mrs. Hughes with Tatyana Ali, that character existed perfectly for Ashley’s arc, and then there was casting of, Oh, Tatyana would be perfect to play Mrs. Hughes because she’s got that history with the family. Hilary would’ve had her, then Carlton, now Ashley. With the whole family having a history around Mrs. Hughes, [Ali] just felt perfect for that role. And the same with Daphne Maxwell Reid coming back this season in the role of Janice and being very instrumental in Aunt Viv’s art world as we expand the people in that space. We definitely wanted to bring her back and cause a bit of trouble for Viv, which will be very interesting. It just ends up that it’s O.G. Ashley with our new Ashley, and that feels really good just to see them on screen together. Also, I think with O.G. Viv and New Viv in this storyline, this season will feel very poetic for people. That journey is gonna be very cool.

AVC: How do you plan to continue incorporating iconic moments from the original series, or the essence of them, but also keep Bel-Air as its own fully formed world?

CBW: That’s the challenge because we want to stay connected to what the original series was but also make a show that exists on its own. It’s really starting to take off on its own and be Bel-Air, but we also want to [have] the little Easter eggs, with the fans seeing things from the original series where they can go, “Oh!” So many people watched and still watch that show over and over and they know that show intimately. Even the first episode back in the second season is Ashley’s 13th birthday. In the original series they celebrated Ashley’s 13th birthday, and it was Hilary who brought her the special gift of Tevin Campbell to serenade her at her birthday. So our little homage to that was to have Hilary bring Saweetie. Those who know will know that’s a very similar storyline from the original, and those who don’t will just think it’s fun to have Saweetie in the episode. So we’ll look for fun moments like that as we introduce new characters and teachers. There was a teacher of Mrs. Bassin that appeared in the original series that will be very instrumental in Carlton’s story this season. So we’ll have those little moments along the way that feel special to people who are really connected to the show.