Bel-Air has given us the opportunity to look at all the characters from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with a new lens. In this darker reboot, no character is quite like its predecessor and while some do well, others might suffer from the change.
So where does Jazz stand in all of this? Is his Bel-Air version better? Or should the show not have messed with the Fresh Prince’s take? For me, the answer is clear: Bel-Air’s Jazz is superior, and here are five reasons why:
1. Bel-Air’s Jazz Has a Better Friendship with Will
Although Will and Jazz were pitted together as best friends, they were quite toxic as they put their romantic flings before their friendship. Because Fresh Prince was more of a gag show, this just came across as comic.
In Bel-Air, the two are not as close as in the original but their friendship has way more ground.
In his first appearance itself, Jazz was able to be the person Will could open up to, talk about how difficult his recent move to Bel-Air is and why he’s scared about his future.
This bond is once again seen in the season finale when Jazz is the only one who’s able to talk sense to Will when he gets stupefied by the sudden arrival of his father, Lou, and the apparent lies told by Vy, Viv, and Phil.
2. … But He’s Not Tied to Will’s Hip
One of the best things that Bel-Air could do was allow Jazz to be a character of his own. Unlike the former version, neither his scenes nor his storylines solely depend on Will, his womanizing, or just plain old comic relief.
Will’s family never really liked Jazz (hence, the running gag of uncle Phil literally picking him up and throwing him out of the house) but by distancing him from Will, Bel-Air makes Jazz far more likable.
3. Jazz Is More Serious about His Work
Fresh Prince’s Jazz was a DJ, but it’s not something he works hard for or even seems passionate about.
Bel-Air has played into this origin story by keeping music at his core. So while Jazz now is a cab driver, his actual aspirations lie in running a record store—which is not only endearing but also earnest.
4. Jazz May Get the Girl!
Both Fresh Prince and Bel-Air’s Jazz have an insane crush on Hilary. But the former never gets the opportunity to be with her, and partly at fault is the way Fresh Prince’s Hilary is sketched out. The two would’ve never worked out.
But because we have a fresh Hilary in Bel-Air, Jazz is able to connect with her in a more loving way. My favorite bit was when Hilary was having a dilemma about her sexy chef video, and Jazz lent her unconditional support on the matter.
Jazz and Hilary’s relationship is far from sealed at the end of Bel-Air S1, but it is definitely more promising than it was in Fresh Prince.
5. He Finally Gets Rid of the Sunglasses!
Alright, alright, this last reason is debatable but you too must’ve gotten tired of seeing Jazz with sunglasses all the time!
DJ Jazzy Jeff who played the role explains that it was a quirk he added to the character that was reminiscent of his roots—growing up in the ’90s in Philly, sunglasses were an essential part of hip-hop, and artists were seen wearing them on all album covers.
(Jeff has such a fondness for sunglasses that he did a hip-hop history lesson on it with a sunglasses company).
You have to admit, the sunglasses do go with Jazz’s snazzy vibe in Fresh Prince, too.
I think it’s great that Bel-Air’s Jazz did not keep this costume trait. For one, it would seem a little ingenuine, and two, it gives the actor a chance to add something that is close to his heart to this new version of Jazz.
6. Does Bel-Air’s Jazz have no faults?
Jazz appears only in half of the episodes of Bel-Air S1 and so far, his character has been quite warm, receptive, and charming.
But is he too nice? Part of what made Jazz a delight on Fresh Prince was the fact that he brought in chaos and laughs, and complemented Will on a dysfunctional level, making for great entertainment value.
So by taking off that goofy edginess, has Bel-Air made Jazz bland? I’ll leave that for you to decide.
7. About Bel-Air
Bel-Air is an American drama television series developed by Morgan Cooper, Malcolm Spellman, TJ Brady, and Rasheed Newson. It is a reimagined version of the 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air . In March 2023, it was renewed for a third season.
The series stars Jabari Banks as Will Smith, with Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Coco Jones, Olly Sholotan, Jimmy Akingbola, Akira Akbar, Jordan L Jones, and Simone Joy Jones.
The story follows Will Smith’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. It dives deep into racial tension, culture shock, and black excellence.
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