I actually enjoyed the first half of the first episode--even the much darker elements. But the horrible casting of mid twenty-somethings meant to be in high school or just out, completely detracts from the stories being told. The Will Smith character can't decide if he's going or coming, or stuck in the middle of the freeway. And to have Carlton be such an awful character portrayed by a much, much older actor is really disappointing. He looks like a long, lost, adopted five-generation removed cousin and doesn't fit the family AT ALL. Then when Uncle Phil is as corrupt as the day is long, one has to realize how far the potential has sunk. I'll give it one more episode, but if they can't try and stitch this together in some cohesive way, I don't see how it can stay on the air in my world. If you're going to use the names and characters who were decent people in a past show, you can't pour stank all over them and expect us to like them.
Review of Bel-Air
