(*insert Tom Jones here*)The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a Sitcom that was created as a vehicle for the popular rapper "The Fresh Prince" (Will Smith) to get a break as a bankable actor. A young, street-savvy hip-hopper from Philadelphia is forced to move to Bel-Air, California with his rich relatives after he pisses off some gangsters. The Reality Subtext is equally grim: A Grammy-winning rapper is forced to take the lead role in a family sitcom after angering the IRS. In both cases, Hilarity Ensues.Surprisingly, the show is well-regarded today, not just for launching Smith's acting career, but for being a well-written ensemble comedy despite the gimmicky premise. It also aired for a respectable six seasons (an intentional decision as to not make it a Franchise Zombie), from 1990 to 1996.The primary relationship was between Will and his uptight cousin Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), who was about the same age. Will also got on his Uncle Phil's (James Avery) nerves more than anyone else, balanced only by Phil's wife, Vivian (Janet Hubert-Whitten for the first three seasons, Darrined by Daphne Maxwell Reid later). The youngest daughter, Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali), thought Will was cool and the older daughter, Hilary (Karyn Parsons), was usually too airheaded to really notice him. The show was unique on how it presented a major clash between what was a stereotypical black personality and a black family that was upper class. Unlike The Cosby Show or Family Matters, Will would suggest that Carlton was not as black as he was; this was phased out through Character Development when Will saw Carlton be discriminated that way.
The show used many standard Tropes, including:
Aborted Arc: They introduce Jackie Ames (played by Tyra Banks) in the fourth season of the show as one of Will's childhood friends from West Philly, and as one of his old flames from his Philadelphia days. They partake in little chemistry-ridden arguments and witty battles throughout the first half of the season, hinting at a possible rekindling of their relationship and possibly giving Will his first stable girlfriend since moving to Bel Air, but after Will and Jackie's boyfriend Hank Farley engage in a drinking contest over her and over their threatened manliness, Jackie gets fed up and asks for Carlton to take her home. She is never seen after that, with only a passing mention by Will that she's away and no real explanation as to why she left and where she went. Not to mention, without giving Will and Jackie's relationship a true chance. (Wasted potential, yes.)
"Vivian, you are so naive. You'd believe that boy if he told you he was a rap star whose latest album just went platinum!" (cue Aside Glance from Janet Hubert Whitten rather than Will)
In response to a character's truthful claim, Will sarcastically snaps, "Yeah, and I just won a Grammy".
In the pilot, Hilary and Carlton's establishing moment is a fight in which they argue over the correct pronunciation of "Porsche". Alfonso Ribiero was in Silver Spoons, wherein his character's father and Ricky Schroeder's character's father had a very similar argument.
Any time Carlton dances, it's hilariously dorky... unless it's to Michael Jackson, in which case he busts out moves worthy of Michael himself; Ribiero was a backup dancer for Jackson before he was cast on The Fresh Prince.
Cloud Cuckoolander Judge Robertson, played by Sherman Hemsley, gets in a heated argument with Philip once he learns he's running against him for Superior Court Justice, culminating with Robertson shouting "Lionel, show him to the door!" before running up the Banks' stairs. Hemsley showing up later in the run reprising his role from The Jeffersons makes this Hilarious in Hindsight.
All Just a Dream: A Halloween episode where Will inadvertently gets the family hexed when he mocks the fortune teller doing a seance to communicate with Hilary's dead fiance, Trevor. Ends with a Or Was It a Dream? when the end of the episode plays out exactly like the beginning much to Will's horror.
Bad Guys Play Pool: An entire episode is dedicated to Will and Carlton playing pool... and getting into debt with thugs, despite Phil's warnings (they disregarded them as 'uncool'). Phil has to show up to bail them out. It turns out Phil is a pool playing master. He warned Will to stay away, because he knew how bad the pool bars got.
Black and Nerdy: Mostly Carlton, although apparently Will collects Transformers figures and reads comic books.
Carlton comes off far more nerdy than Will, but it shouldn't be forgotten that Will was bullied and ostracized at school in Philly for actually studying.
Also, those Beast Wars figures were toy-only characters, properly named, from the first line of Beast Wars toys, before the show had even aired. Historically, the Transformers franchise was nearly dead at this time, and it was the Beast Wars show that revived it. Someone working on the show (Will Smith himself, several of those are his personal figures) had to be a fan to get that specific.
Black Comedy: No, not literally. Well, yes, but it applies both literally and figuratively, and, um... oh, forget it. Just have some examples.
The entire episode in which Hilary's fiance is killed during his "EXTREME" proposal (bungee-jumping).
The episode in which Philip Banks' election opponent dies, and everyone who shows up to the funeral celebrates his death.
Break the Haughty: Done to Carlton a few times, mostly in the first season when he continues to look down his nose at Will's rough background. Ironically also happens to Will when he looks down on Carlton for not being "black" or "street" enough.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: One of the best TV shows as far as incorporating this trope from time to time.
Will: If we're so rich...how come we can't afford no ceiling? *camera pans up to studio lights*
In one instance during The Tag, Will counter-pranked Carlton by claiming to have killed Lisa (a woman who would later become his girlfriend, was initially sent to embarrass him due to how he treated women). Carlton ran off the house shrieking. The camera followed him for a several minutes as he ran around the various sets, passed through the studio audience and eventually exited the studio where he hugged Will.
In one episode, the family goes to visit West Philadelphia and Will hunts down one of the guys who gave him trouble. When Carlton asks specifically who he's looking for, Will says-
Will: The dude that be spinnin' me over his head in the opening credits.
In another episode, Will spends the entire episode trying to cram for a test, only to not ever get past the first page. At the end of the episode, he tells Carlton that he got a passing grade from cheating off another girl... only to retract his statement and say that he failed the exam, just so that the audience wouldn't get the wrong impression of him. He even gives an Aside Glance afterwards!
Brilliant, but Lazy: Arguably Will. In one episode, he scores higher than Carlton, someone who usually gets very good grades, on a standardized test. Will scores in the 91st percentile while Carlton scores in the 90th. The thing is, Will didn't even study for the test while Carlton studied his ass off. Naturally, Carlton is pissed.
Will won over a Princeton recruiter by solving a Rubik's cube in only a few seconds.
Will has also shown an adeptness for poetry and the piano.
Broken Aesop: In the drug episode "Just Say Yo", the moral should obviously be "Don't do drugs". But as Will never wanted Carlton to do any drugs, but was just tired and confused, it was actually Carlton's own fault, if he takes pills from an unlabelled container. The unbelievably stupid way Carlton acted on his own account marks even more important messages: "Don't just take pills when you aren't even exactly sure what it is!" and "Don't take pills from an unlabelled container!" and "Don't just assume the dose of pills you need to take!" The Aesop is not really about the wilful use of illegal drugs at all.
The aesop really hinges mostly around dealing with being offered drugs responsibly, rather than actually taking them. The situation happens largely because Will, rather than refusing the pills at all or, once they were pushed on him, getting rid of them in a responsible way, just shoved them in his locker and left them there. If he'd told an authority figure that one of his classmates was pushing stimulants or had simply thrown the pills away, Carlton wouldn't have gotten hurt, which is why Will takes responsibility at the end of the episode.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: The bully who attacked Will and got him sent out to Bel-Air in the first place. He's only able to remember Will after Will reminds him by bouncing a basketball off his head.
Butt Monkey: Carlton falls into this at times, though Jazz gets into the act.
Cast as a Mask: The "Fresh Prince: The Movie" episode had John "Fingers" O'Neill (Brad Garrett) appear twice. The first time was in a story about Will and the Banks family going into the Witness Protection Program, the second time in person (when Fingers comes to hassle Will in Bel Air, Will runs off in terror). The second time, "Fingers" unmasks and reveals himself to be Jazz, out for payback after Will and Carlton used the story to hustle Jazz out of his cash at poker.
Isaac Hayes: Really? I thought it was pretty good.
Celebrity Lie: Early on, Hilary often claimed to be friends with a lot of celebrities as part of her activism and such. By "Deck the Halls", Will gets so sick of it that he tells her to stop lying about it - only to later be surprised to find the trope inverted. Both Evander Holyfield and later Ronald Reagan stop by the house due to the episode's events and personally greet her.
In another episode, Will lies that he's friends with Boyz II Men and promises to get them for Nicky's christening. He didn't know it, but he actually did have some contact with Boyz II Men: He stole one of their girlfriends long before they got famous. As a result, they throw Will out of the studio, though they eventually forgive him and sing for Nicky's sake (and because it is Christmas time).
Celebrity Paradox: Will not only repeatedly references The Cosby Show, not only references Malcolm Jamal-Warner specifically, but in one episode tells a detailed story claiming that Jamal-Warner is a close, personal friend who calls him for advice on women. A later episode has Jamal-Warner playing Hilary's boyfriend Eric.
Similarly, Ashley is shown to be a fan of both Tevin Campbell and in-universe teen heart-throb Little T (who was played by Campbell).
Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford appear as George and "Wheezy" Jefferson, their characters from The Jeffersons. The sitcom was actually referred to earlier in the series.
Characterization Marches On: The first season had Carlton as a pompous Smug Snake rival to Will. Starting in season 2, after being a Butt Monkey and having emotional breakdowns, he became the lovable nerdy goofball we all know today. Likewise, in the first season, Hilary is portrayed as a shallow, spoiled, socialite and environmental activist. Since season two she became just shallow and spoiled.
Childhood Brain Damage: A slight variation, when Will asks Carlton if he was deprived of oxygen.
Chronic Villainy: Geoffrey switches back and forward between plotting against and hating the family and feeling genuine affection for them throughout the series.
Cloudcuckoolander: Carlton, at times. Geoffrey, if drunk. Jazz, most of the time. Hilary too. Even Will has his moments.
Cock Fight: The midpoint of a two-parter has Carlton and Will vying for the attention of the same woman.
Cold Turkeys Are Everywhere: A variant in "Be My Baby Tonight", when Ashley asks Will about sex, he suddenly hears double entendres everywhere. When Ashley's boyfriend comes in for their date, he asks if she's ready. Then, on the TV, the game announcer asks "Where is the most unusual placeyou've made whoopee?" Then, when Will turns on the radio, all that comes on is the song "I Wanna Sex You Up". Carlton comes in and says he's late for his date with his girlfriend who can "tie a knot with her tongue". You get the picture.
Vivian is horrified when Will walks in the door with his long-lost father:
Vivian: Will, honey, you should have called. You really should have called.
Will: But I called and told Geoffrey to tell you...
Geoffrey: Mm, I thought it would be more fun this way. And I was right!
Crossing The Burnt Bridge: Will and Carlton trick Geoffrey into thinking he's won the lottery, causing him to cheerfully dance around and call everyone out before the truth is revealed. In a variation, while everyone forgives him (the boys take most of the blame) he's too embarrassed to return, and is the one that needs to be coaxed back.
Now, if anyone can pick Will's jaw up from the floor...
Not to mention his strip-tease in Season 2's finale, "Strip-Tease For Two", to what sounds very much like the music from "Billie Jean". He even throws in a Michael Jackson yell.
Daddy Didn't Show: Well, he did, but only to let Phil & Vivian know that he wasn't taking Will with him after all.
Deadpan Snarker: Geoffrey, who, depending on the episode, is a total smartarse, or simply plays off the next half-baked plan from Hilary. The rest of the family sometimes snarks back.
Trevor (on TV): HILARY BANKS! Hilary (at home): YES, TREVOR! Trevor: WILL YOU MARRY ME— (thud)
Double Entendre: In "Be My Baby Tonight", Will is on the phone with his girlfriend, when Ashley and her friend Kevin walk in. He then changes the subject to his "book report on Alaska". "And the United States said, you know, I'm thinking of laying a pipeline, are you interested?"
Engineered Heroics: Subverted. To impress his girlfriend, Will has a friend hire a thug to pretend to rob a store, so Will could beat him up and save the day. A REAL robber enters the store, but Will hams it up, thinking this was the staged robber. His girlfriend ends up pissed that he stood up to a man with a gun.
For Halloween, I Am Going as Myself: In one episode, it's stated that Uncle Phil always goes to Halloween parties as a judge. In the end, he simply wears street clothes and says he's "someone who doesn't want to be here."
Hilary:(at her costume party) Daddy, you need a costume.
Uncle Phil: (in casual clothes, unamused) I'm in my costume- I'm Comfortable Man.
Ashley: Is he a super-hero?
Uncle Phil: Sort of. He has super-human bill-paying powers, so he gets to dress however he wants.
Franchise Zombie: James Avery (Uncle Phil) even commended Will Smith on wanting to leave the show on a high note instead of keep it dragging on.
Gaussian Girl: Frequently, usually involving Carlton.
Gender Blender Name: When Will joins the cast of a soap opera and reads the script, he thinks the Jodie that his character is in love with is a woman. Then the character comes on stage and is revealed to be a man.
Even Will was like this a little bit, a friend mentioned how he would hide his textbooks and study times from people back in Philly, lest he be targeted for fights and mocked. It helps said friend was there to protect him. It was based on the real Will Smith being a surprisingly excellent student.
Grand Finale: Geoffrey moves back to England to be with his son. Philip, Vivian and their children move to different parts of the northeast. Will stays in California so that he can finish his college coursework.
I Call It Vera: One episode featured Phil's custom pool cue, named Lucille. Uncle Phil was hustling a pool hustler, and in the first game asked Geoffrey to hand him "one of those stick thingies." Then in the second game, where the stakes were far higher, he told Geoffrey to "break out Lucille."
I, Noun: The last six episode titles, including "Eye, Tooth," and I, Done.
Identical Grandson: Carlton looks just like the younger version of Philip.
I Was Quite a Looker: Philip, in an episode flashback taking place from before he became a corporate lawyer & still lived in the old neighborhood, was shown to be svelte, good looking & have a full head of hair.
Just Smile and Nod: When Will and Carlton are about to have a meeting with some record company executives:
Will: Now remember: agree with everything I say and disagree with everything they say. Carlton: Why don't I just smile and nod? Will: [beat] Even better.
Lampshade Hanging: A frequently used device, sometimes as a way to break the fourth wall but sometimes as a way for the famously outspoken writers to editorialize on something (like Nicky's Soap Opera Aging).
Large Ham: Let's face it — a good chunk of the show hinged on Will being this.
Last Disrespects: When Philip Banks' political opponent dies, everyone save for Will attends his funeral primarily to check if he's really dead. When Will proclaims that he was the one that killed him (albeit through telling him to drop dead) as he attempts to call them out on it, the attendees give him a standing ovation.
Last Name Basis: This is how the staff at Bel-Air Prep address their pupils, with the exception of a third grade class of One Episode Wonders.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: The first episode had the catchy theme tune in its extended version, and concluding with Will knocking on the front door. The episode then starts inside the house where Geoffrey lets Will inside, dressed exactly as how the opening concluded.
Like a Son to Me: Uncle Phil's entire relationship towards Will. In the last episode, he even calls Will his son.
Limited Wardrobe: While Jazz did have a variety of outfits, in order to keep continuity for a certain Running Gag, he only wore one particular set of clothing prior to being thrown out of the house. This is because they almost never refilmed the punchline.
Mama Bear: Vivian. Especially evident when Will's dad comes back.
Man Child: Carlton, holy crap, Carlton. Quite a few of the episodes revolve around Will trying to break him out of this.
Will has his moments, too - such as when he gets a hold of some Beast Wars: Transformers action figures.
Will academically (sometimes) and Carlton socially, in general, so they both see each other, but not themselves, this way.
Musicalis Interruptus: In "Twas the Night Before Christening", Will walks in on Boyz II Men while they are recording their single, "Let it Snow". One of the band members spots him, keeps singing, and signals the producer in the booth to cut the music. This keeps the recording intact.
Ashley: Let's have another toast. To all of us going on with our new lives. And Will.
Near Rape Experience: In a manner of speaking; in one episode, Will's then-girlfriend tells him that she doesn't want to have sex with him because she believes in virginity until marriage. Rather than respect her wishes, he instead tries to trick her into bed by having Jazz set up a fake wedding ceremony for the two of them. He backs down and confesses at the last minute, and she responds by punching him in the face and stealing the car he borrowed from Phil.
Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Subverted with the death of Judge Carl Robertson. Will and Phil (who agreed to do his eulogy despite being humiliated by him in an election) did this trope, but everyone else at the funeral openly commented about what a lousy guy Robertson was. Will eventually chastises everyone for speaking ill of the dead. One of them asks who he is and Will responds that he's the one who killed him (Robertson died from a heart attack immediately after Will told him to "drop dead").Everybody claps. Will eventually gives up, saying "tough crowd."
The Nineties: the feel of the decade is especially notable in the opening sequence for the show.
No Fourth Wall: Will occasionally looks directly at the camera, once asks why the Banks' house has no ceiling and describes someone as "the dude spinning me over his head in the credits", but the pinnacle of this trope is probably the season 5 opener. With the last season ending with Will deciding to move home it seems to be setting up for at least an episode of Will choosing between Philly and Bel-Air. Instead, he's working happily at his Philadelphia job when an NBC executive shows up, tells him his contract clearly states "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", and bundles him into the back of a van. Roll credits.
There's also an episode which starts with Will at the pool house playing sax for a girl. When he finishes, he excuses himself for a second and walks out of the house to pay the actual saxophonist, who was just outside. It's none other than Branford Marsalis, who at the time was the bandleader for The Tonight Show. After he leaves, Will comments "there's definitely some perks to working for NBC!"
Another one has Will sitting up late watching TV when Uncle Phil comes in and starts badgering. An irritated Will simply takes the remote and turns him off, then turns to the camera and asks, "Isn't that fly? Don't you wish you lived on TV?"
Oblivious to Love: Carlton at times. For example, in the episode where he loses his virginity, he is describing his ideal woman to Will. A woman who fits all of the characteristics walks into the store and says she needs to find something, and he says "Listen lady, we're talking".
Old Shame: Geoffrey's secret was that he was a long distance runner who cheated while representing Britain at the 1976 Olympic. He got ahead of the other racers by taking a cab to the stadium. He was immediately found out and his gold medal was taken away. In England, he is "The Shame of a Nation".
Once an Episode: Hilary being a ditz, Will calling Carlton short, Will calling Uncle Phil fat.
One Phone Call: Will and Carlton were arrested. Will used his call to phone Geoffrey, who was so upset about having his day off interrupted he hung on Will before listening. Carlton called his Dad but he and his friends were so entertained by a game on TV they didn't listen. Will and Carlton got their attention by making a deal with the authorities: they'd confess if they got to do it during a live broadcast interrupting the game transmission.
One Steve Limit: As Geoffrey the butler is a regular character, DJ Jazzy Jeff's character goes by Jazz at all times.
Will is one towards Ashley as well in the earlier seasons. You don't mess with his youngest cousin. Hilary or Carlton's fine but mess with her and he'll show you he inherited Uncle Phil's genes as well.
Parents Know Their Children: When Bel-Air Prep goes coeducational, Carton and Will are captivated by all of the beautiful new students, Ashley among them. Will recognizes her first.
Periphery Hatedom: Dougie the Orange Whale, who is totally not Barney. Will, of course, finds the idea of someone loving everyone to be impossible:
Will: Dougie... loves everything. People. Am I the only one who finds this disturbing? *starts sarcastically singing to the tune of Dougie's theme song* I love bugs and I love death, I love oozing flesh wounds!
Pick Up Babes With Babes: When Will sees how popular a single father at school is, he lies that his cousin, Nicky, is his son. He then embellishes the story even further which causes people to start giving more and more stuff, culminating in a trip to Hawaii because of his "courage". Will feels bad, comes clean and gives everything to a guy with a baby. When everyone leaves, the guy thanks him... and adds "Just Between You and Me, this isn't my kid. Aloha." OUCH.
Popular Saying, But...: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but a fifty foot fall will kill y'all!
Profiling: Carlton and Will get arrested for Driving While Black while on their way to Palm Springs, as Carlton was assigned with driving the car of Mr. Firth, a work associate of Phil's. (It's a very fancy BMW.) Carlton was convinced that the police were only doing their job, as their behavior was generally suspicious (they were arguing in the car and driving very slowly), but Will believed it was racial profiling, as does Phil.
It ends on a Downer Ending. Carlton asks Phil, "Dad, if you were a cop and you saw someone driving a car at two miles an hour, would you stop them?" To which Phil responds, "That's what I asked myself the first time I was pulled over." The episode ends as Carlton sits there in a depressed funk, pondering what just happened.
Primal Scene: In a scene where Will walks in on his mom having sex, and screams in terror loud enough to attract the attention of the rest of the house.
Will: Mom, I just wanna say that I'm hurt. And I don't think that mothers are supposed to... do... what you — (cringes and clutches his face) Oh my God, I just got a mental picture! (starts beating himself over the head) Get out! Get out!
Prison Episode: "Mistaken Identity" has both Will and Carlton arrested due to racial profiling. In "There's the Rub", Will and Phil are mistakenly jailed for solicitation.
Put Me In, Coach!: A failed version; Carlton airballs the final shot in a game, after wrestling with Will for the ball. It goes wide left of the basket. Granted, it's like he didn't have a reason: ever since Will had joined the school's basketball team, his talent caught the coach's eyes in a way that he practically played alone. This went to Will's head in such a way he became a kind of Jerk Jock (in-court only, so here's a subversion) and Carlton couldn't take it anymore.
Rags to Riches: Will can count. Jazz keeps trying to do this.
Raw Eggs Make You Stronger: Will prepares to fight the guy who spun him on his head on the opening credits. He goes through a full Training Montage, complete with drinking raw eggs, and by that we mean, trying to swallow them and then instantly spitting them out and fainting.
Really Gets Around: Before settling with Lisa, Will pretty much had a different girlfriend per episode.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Will gives one to Juggles the Clown after he holds up a courthouse to display his "comedy" routine.
Uncle Phil also gave several of these speeches to different people over the course of the series, each one a certifiable Moment of Awesome .
Reset Button: A season ended with Will moving back to Philadelphia. It was reset in two minutes flat in the next year's opener, and heavily, heavily lampshaded: he's kidnapped by NBC Executives to get tossed back into Bel-Air.
Rhetorical Question Blunder: Phil tries to talk Hugh Hefner into cutting Hilary's Playboy spread by asking him what he'd do if his own daughter posed for his magazine. Hef replies that his daughter has posed in Playboy.
Risky Business Dance: Geoffrey does this, dancing through the Banks' living room.
Running Gag: Jazz (wearing a white and gold dashiki) being thrown out the front door of the house. Notably, the Jazz-being-thrown-out gag is Stock Footage (complete with tape-rolling noise). The first time it's used, it is used again for the typical cases (i.e. not described here). Only twice was the sequence reshot, including an instance where he gets thrown out along with a Bill Cosby cardboard cutout (the episode in which it happens shows him doing the take over and over again in the credits bloopers).
Jazz lampshades this in one episode, when after an annoyed Phil glares at him, he simply grabs the back of his own collar and, deadpan, throws himself out.
Defied in one episode where Will gets so mad at Jazz that when Jazz asks Will if he isn't going to throw him out, Will says that Jazz isn't worth it.
When the two make up, Jazz asks Will to do something for him "for old times' sake". Will smiles and says "Sure." Next shot is of Jazz being thrown out of the house.
Also subverted in a dream episode where Jazz and Hilary announce that they're getting married. Phil goes to throw Jazz out — but it's Phil who gets kicked out the house.
And then there's the time that they're already outside, and Jazz comments that Phil can't throw him out. Phil throws him into the house.
The situation was also reversed once with Will, after Will showed some last minute edits to Philip's campaign commercial, Phil throws Will out of the house.
After Will is kicked out of the house, he goes to Chalet Towers to try and convince Jazz to let him stay in his apartment for a few days — but Jazz has, ahem, company, and refuses to let Will stay. Will perseveres, to Jazz's chagrin, and Jazz reluctantly lets him in... only to throw him out of the building immediately afterwards.
The Carlton Dance has remained a very popular gag, and Alfonso Ribeiro is frequently asked to perform it.
Sad Clown: Will. When his father walks out on him, his veneer of indifference completely cracks.
Saw Star Wars Twenty Seven Times: When Carlton's ex-girlfriend comes back with a baby she claims is his, Will explains to Phil and Vivian that the baby belongs to "a young man who has seen The Little Mermaid eight times."
School Bullying Is Harmless: When Ashley is bullied by another girl, it turns out to have just been a misunderstanding, and they talk and reconcile.
Servile Snarker: Geoffrey. Sometimes it went to a ridiculous level where we really ended up wondering why Uncle Phil didn't fire him. Not that he didn't have his kindly moments however.
Shout Out: Though Will Smith's birth name is "Willard", his character's official name is "William". Occasionally people will call him "Willard", under the guise of giving him a hard time.
The music that plays when Will and Carlton enter the courtroom in "Will Goes A-Courtin'" is the Perry Mason theme ("Park Avenue Beat").
Opening Shout-Out: The opening itself is a Shout Out to the video for "Parents Just Don't Understand"; they have the exact same visual style (this is especially noticeable in the "extended" versions of the Theme Tune).
Stylistic Suck: A funny variation, as the "Carlton Dance" is meant to look ridiculous and Carlton is generally made fun of for dancing that way. The truth is you can see there is actually a great deal of coordination required and the few times Will performs the same dance, you can tell he isn't quite as smooth at it.
Take That: Will criticizes Dougie — talking anthropomorphic animal, kids' show host — of always being happy and loving everything. Hmmm...
The Talk: Happens in one entire episode involving Ashley's curiousness about sex.
Tempting Fate: After Will overdecorates the house in the Christmas Episode, he yells at the neighbour who calls them to complain, demanding they meet face to face so he can confront them. When the guy shows up, it's Evander Holyfield, the heavyweight Champion of the world.
Will: (Upon meeting him and dusting his shoulder) N-Nice champion.
Title Sequence Replacement: When TBS reacquired the rerun rights in 2007, the network switched the opening theme out of the intro for the closing theme, shortening the intro in the process. To a longtime fan of the show, it can be very jarring, especially when TBS had rerun the show several years earlier with the original theme intact.
Token White: Occasionally Will would have a white friend at school. Most didn't last long as characters. However, one of Will's aunts got involved with a tall man, who would eventually become so accepted by the family that he and Will would make jokes about Carlton being the token white member of the group.
Lampshaded in one episode at a ski resort when one of Vivian's sisters complains that they (the family) are the only black people they see there. Her white husband remarks, "Don't be silly. Everywhere I turn, I see another black person", after which she almost falls down laughing.
Training Montage: Parodied in the Season 4 finale, when Will returns to Philadelphia (which is appropriate, since that's Rocky Balboa's hometown): after he finishes climbing up the staircase of the Museum of Art, he starts celebrating, but he's so tired that he faints — and then some guy comes by and steals his wallet and his hat.
Played straight in a season one episode, when Carlton gives Will etiquette lessons.
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Uncle Phil isn't ugly, but he's definitely overweight. But in true Dom Com style, in Vivian, he has a gorgeous, svelte wife. In fact, given the recasting of Janet Hubert-Whitten with Daphne Maxwell Reid, he technically gets TWO. Unlike most cases, the difference is acknowledged (thanks to Will's constant teasing and Vivian's occasional gentle ribbing), and Vivian makes a point of telling Will that Phil's weight does not bother her "one bit".
And underneath that gut James Avery is built like a friggin' tank — which the show occasionally acknowledges. The man was also in the Navy and fought in Vietnam.
Also in some flashback episodes, it shows Phil as thin with a full head of hair, so he wasn't always a CHUD.
Unintentional Period Piece: The show is laden with contemporary pop culture references, especially in the earlier seasons, which had frequent references to early 1990s politics-related things such as Desert Storm and Dan Quayle, and celebrity scandals such as Zsa Zsa Gabor's slapping of a police and evangelist Jimmy Swaggart's arrest for solicitation.
Upper Class Twit: Hilary to a T. Hell, the entire Banks family qualifies, though they all get moments that subvert it.
Very Special Episode: A few, including two on racial profiling (one where the head of a fraternity chooses Will over Carlton because Carlton doesn't act stereotypically black, and another where Carlton and Will are arrested by a racist cop), one on drug abuse (where Will buys amphetamines and Carlton takes them, thinking it's his acne medication), an arc on Will getting shot and Carlton buying a gun for protection (and possibly revenge), and the episode where Will reunites with his deadbeat father (played by Ben Vereen), only to see him leave again.
What Are You in For?: Oddly, Will ends up fielding this question as a hospital inpatient.
Becomes even more of a Wham Line when you realize that the line was unscripted.
Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: A character played by Darryl Sivad has appeared various times as a park ranger, emergency medic and fireman, always with a laid back attitude and making inappropriate jokes, much to the consternation of the main characters.
Why Waste a Wedding?: Will and Lisa decide not to get married during their wedding ceremony, so Will's mother and Lisa's father get married instead.
Your Costume Needs Work: In one episode, Will and Lisa almost get a quickie Vegas Shaft-themed wedding, but come to their senses at the last minute. As they're leaving, Will tells the priest that his Isaac Hayes impression sucks; the priest (played, of course, by Isaac Hayes) says he didn't think it was that bad.
Zettai Ryouiki: In the later seasons, Ashley, her friends and some extras often wear Grade B socks.
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