November 15, 2022
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was known for its laughs, but this layered history also showcases its impact on race relations, popular culture, and the TV business. With telling interviews and deep research, Palmer, best known for his work for ESPN, uncovers plenty of new insights on the show that turned Will Smith into a superstar. His chats with the show's original showrunners, husband-and-wife team Andy and Susan Borowitz, provide a nuanced understanding of the launch of the show and the multiple issues at play. For one thing, many were concerned about Smith's inexperience as an actor. Then there were the business issues facing NBC, which was struggling at the time, and the involvement of big egos like late NBC President Brandon Tartikoff and producer Quincy Jones. However, it was the racial impact of an all-Black cast, playing a wealthy and powerful California family, that created even more challenges, especially with the 1990s backdrop of the Rodney King riots and the O.J. Simpson trial. As Palmer notes, the writers were largely up to the challenge, and they "deftly navigated the balance between comedic fun and the show's important messaging on the Black American experience, without becoming too preachy or too heavy for white audiences to handle. All this with a nearly all-white writing staff that had little knowledge of virtually any aspect of Black culture." With a breezy, anecdote-heavy style, Palmer balances all these issues well, but he struggles when addressing the controversies, including the firing of Janet Hubert, the original Vivian Banks. The author also offers little discussion of Smith's temper, on display when he slapped Chris Rock at this year's Oscars. Nonetheless, the book will appeal to fans of the show. An insightful TV history that tracks how Will Smith became a star but leaves some questions unanswered.
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December 1, 2022
Palmer (co-author of Lamar Odom's memoir Darkness to Light) provides a nostalgic and often effusive look back at one of the most popular sitcoms of the nineties, treading carefully around any scandals, while cementing the show's place in Black family television history. Palmer offers an interesting examination of the efforts to bring the show to life, starting with the background of the major players, such as Benny Medina, whose personal history (bounced around in foster homes, taken in by a family in Beverly Hills) was the basis for the show, and young rapper Will Smith, whose friends oversaw the show's authenticity. Palmer utilizes Fresh Prince to probe different Black American experiences based on socioeconomic backgrounds, and he looks at the characters of cousins Will and Carlton to illustrate opposing Blackness and differing definitions of Black success. The author's portrayal of Smith's rise to power as he transforms from an inexperienced kid to a major Hollywood movie star, often bringing turmoil to the set and eventually ensuring the show's demise, avoids gossipy innuendo. VERDICT While this is an entertaining chronicle of an important sitcom, its appeal is limited to die-hard fans of the original series or the new reboot, Bel-Air.--Lisa Henry
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 19, 2022
Sportswriter Palmer (Darkness to Light) delivers an entertaining take on the sitcom that propelled Will Smith from rapper to celebrated movie star. Smith grew up in a West Philadelphia home that “was warm and mostly loving, but discipline was paramount,” and earned the nickname Prince for his boyish charm. His comedic antics—born from his attempts to evade his father’s anger—later became the inspiration for his Fresh Prince persona. Desperate to be famous, Smith’s late 1980s collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff for “Parents Just Don’t Understand” won “the first-ever hip-hop Grammy,” but mainstream hip-hop quickly tired of his bubblegum rap style. Smith later moved to Los Angeles, where he met talent manager Benny Medina and landed an audition with producer Quincy Jones for a new sitcom in 1990. Smith, a first-time actor, immediately signed on to star in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Despite studio questions on whether white writers Andy and Susan Borowitz could accurately portray Black culture (the husband-and-wife team consulted Black writers and crew to authenticate the script’s nuances), the show became “groundbreaking for network television” and a cultural phenomenon. Palmer’s skillful study of Smith’s professional and personal development melds perfectly with his incisive analysis of the show’s cultural impact. This savvy outing offers much more than a simple hit of nostalgia. Agent: Tess Calero and Marc Gerald, Europa.