YMMV / Bel-Air

• And You Thought It Would Fail: Pre-release reactions to the reimagining were mixed. Some informal critics thought playing the Darker and Edgier direction straight, even compared to its original fanmade parody, would create an Uncertain Audience. However, the series proved to be a success for Peacock, being watched by over 8 million users to become one of the platform's most-watched originals.
• He Really Can Act: After having been known as a comedic actor, Marlon Wayans received near universal acclaim from fans for his amazing and powerful performance as Lou Smith, showing his talent to get serious.
• Narm: The "Kingdom" teaser for many in which it uses some of the original lyrics in a slow serious tone while Will swims through objects pertaining to his life like basketball and the fuzzy dice while a haunting melody plays. A majority of fans couldn't take it seriously and found it more laughable than anything.
• Older Than They Think: Will being an honor roll student. The original series tended to gloss over it at times, but it was often stated that Will was just as smart if not smarter than Carlton in a lot of areas, in particular in regards to math with his main issue being his lack of application. Will's later characterization in the original series changed him into someone barely getting by, but the new continuity brings back the focus on Will being someone with a gifted intellect.
• Strawman Has a Point: Carlton in the middle of Season 1 is presented to be in the wrong for expecting people to choose between two options and saying that Philip Banks is their only best option in an argument with Will over his campaigning style, except that he's right in a sense that apathy isn't a solution and it's not really wise to complain when you don't do anything to make a situation better. On top of that, Philip has shown to become more in touch with his audience since the first season began which actually makes Carlton's outrage seem justified in that people are ignoring the fact that his father is becoming a better person, and a better politician for it.
• Tainted by the Preview: The teaser had fans scratching their head what exactly this series was going to be. But the official trailer gained a lot of detractors once it dropped upon seeing how much it's focused on drama.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: To say the least, fans of the original instantly cried foul when this was announced, not wanting such a popular beloved sitcom series to go full on serious, plus finding it odd to make a reboot for a series that was essentially a vehicle for Will Smith in his heyday (though he is producing this one). The official trailer didn't help to alleviate those fears.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: The stakes raise dramatically once Rashad discovers that Will is in Bel-Air, potentially setting up a gripping confrontation between the two. Then things immediately deescalate when Rashad is unceremoniously Killed Offscreen thanks to Geoffrey's contacts, abruptly ending the conflict that was first established in the pilot.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: At least some people have commented that the premise of the series actually sounds like an interesting set-up for a stand-alone drama series, but any seriousness is immediately out the window because its status as a reboot of a '90s sitcom makes it too difficult to enjoy on its own merits.