Peacock’s ‘Fresh Prince’ Reboot ‘Bel-Air’ Changes Showrunners Again

Jabari Banks and Adrian Holmes in Bel-Air
Jordyn Gelb/NBCUniversal

The dramatic reimagining of Will Smith‘s classic sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air appears to be having a tough time finding the right showrunner, as Peacock‘s Bel-Air brings in its fourth producer to helm the show.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carla Banks-Waddles (Good Girls) has been promoted from co-executive producer to executive producer and showrunner for the show’s second season. She replaces T.J. Brady (The Chi) and Rasheed Newson (Lie to Me), who reportedly left due to creative differences with Peacock and producers Universal Television.

Banks-Waddles becomes Bel-Air‘s fourth showrunner in its short history. The series, which was given a two-season, straight-to-series order at Peacock, originally had Chris Collins (Sons of Anarchy) on board as showrunner. Collins wanted to produce an edgy, premium series, according to THR sources, while Peacock was looking for a more broad-skewing network-style show.

Collins soon departed the show and was replaced by Diane Houston (Empire). However, Houston ended up mutually parting ways with producers Smith, Quincy Jones, and Benny Medina following some rewrites of Season 1. Brady and Newson then came aboard to steer the first season in their first-ever showrunning job.

Developed by Morgan Cooper and Malcolm Spellman, Bel-Air is based on the beloved 1990s sitcom by Andy and Susan Borowitz. It was inspired by Cooper’s short fan film of the same name and follows Will Smith (Jabari Banks) as he leaves the streets of West Philadelphia to live with his Aunt and Uncle in the gated mansions of Bel-Air.

In addition to Banks, the cast also includes Adrian Holmes as Philip Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey Thompson, Jordan L. Jones as Jazz, and Simone Joy Jones as Lisa Wilkes.

Bel-Air, Season 2, TBA, Peacock