Bel-Air Season 3: Release Date, Trailer, Cast and Everything We Know So Far

2024 Peacock Media, LLC.

Warning: spoilers for Bel-Air season 2 below.

Right at the mid-season mark of its second chapter, Peacock came through with major surprise news that Bel-Air season 3 is officially on the way. Now, we've got a full first look at the upcoming season as well as a release date — it's summertime in Bel-Air.

ICYMI: Bel-Air is a reimagining of the beloved ‘90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which starred Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself. While Fresh Prince was a half-hour family sitcom, Bel-Air is an hour-long drama.

The dramatic concept of the series is a result of filmmaker and Fresh Prince fan Morgan Cooper’s question of what the seminal sitcom would look like if it were made today. In 2019, Cooper created his answer: a four-minute short film titled Bel-Air that depicted all the characters we know and love in dramatic setting with darker conflict. After the short film-slash-trailer went viral, it caught the eye of Will Smith — and the rest is pretty much history.

“Working with partners that have been so supportive of that vision while bringing their own sensibilities and talent to the project, we were able to create something that we were ultimately all really proud of," Cooper said to Teen Vogue in 2022 of the show's creative journey. "This show came from a place of passion and wanting to make something meaningful to the culture. It's been quite a journey, but I wouldn't change anything about it.”

The sophomore season of Bel-Air concluded in late April 2023, and ended with some pretty juicy cliffhangers — so it's definitely great news for fans that Will and the Banks family's stories won't end there. Below, we've compiled a guide of everything you need to know about Bel-Air season 3, including new and returning cast, release date, trailer, and plot details.

→ Confirmed release date
→ New and returning cast
→ Plot details
→ Trailer and first-look photos
→ What happened in season 2?

When will Bel-Air season 3 premiere?

Bel-Air season 2 arrived almost exactly a year after Bel-Air season 1. Even though Bel-Air's production schedule was a bit delayed due to the Hollywood strikes, Peacock has confirmed that Bel-Air season 3 will arrive on August 15, 2024, airing weekly with three new episodes at launch.

News broke of Bel-Air's season 3 renewal in March 2023. The official X account for the show shared a video slideshow of the show's cast members holding up the number three with their fingers. “We're halfway through the season and decided why not bless the fans with some more good news?” read the tweet. “#BelAirPeacock is coming back for another season! Don't call it a comeback cuz the kings (and queens) never left!”

Related: The Fashion in Bel-Air Season 2 Is All About Black Culture

Filming began at the top of 2024. In late January, Coco Jones posted a behind-the-scenes look at her season 3 costume fitting in a black-and-white self-shot video uploaded to Instagram Stories. “Hilary loading” she wrote on top of the clip, in which an array of shoe options and a rolling rack of additional costumes can be spotted in the background. Hilary's outfits are unarguably one of the best parts of the series — can you imagine the heat she's going to bring in Paris with Lamarcus?!

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What will Bel-Air season 3 be about?

The official synopsis of Bel-Air season 3 finds Will “doing Bel-Air his way” while school is out for the summer. “Being a part of the Banks family has given him a new perspective — it isn’t just about wealth, it means that Will now has options to lean into other things that excite him and has the privilege to dream bigger. As Will makes an exciting pivot, he finds a partner in Carlton, who desperately wants to leave his life of addiction behind and rebuild his damaged reputation. And while the dynamic duo has a lot of exciting wins, working together also reveals fundamental differences in their backgrounds and worldviews. Can a partnership of such extremes work? Pressure at work and home will also pose challenges for Viv and Phil. How does a couple hold strong when their lives are at sea? Hilary’s romantic journey with LaMarcus will face some shocking hurdles, and Ashley’s views on romance will start to blossom as she comes of age the summer before she starts high school, and Geoffrey’s London past will come a little too close to home.”

Bel-Air showrunner Carla Banks Waddles promises “pools, beach parties, bonfires, fireworks, Juneteenth celebrations and lots of summer lovin’” in season 3, as well as the exploration of deeper issues that affect Will's world.

“Bel-Air has always been a show with a strong cultural point of view,” Waddles wrote in a statement. “In addition to our soapy teen and family stories, this season we’ll have a lot of great discussion on the gentrification happening in South LA and how so many people are capitalizing on the economy at the cost of the community. And this convo will become a backdrop through the season. The writing team dug deep into their own lives to craft stories that will resonate with our audience.”

Series creator, director, and executive producer Morgan Cooper add that in season 3, “the colors are more vibrant, the sound is elevated, the cinematography is more immersive.”

“The vibe really sets the tone for Will’s first Bel-Air summer: Three months to shine, explore and make moves under the LA sun," reads Cooper's statement. "In season 3, Will's ready to level up his way, even if it means going against the grain of what’s expected. His potential is limitless, but he still has a lot to learn.” Looks like Bel-Air season 3 is going to show us the complex magic of a Bel-Air summer. Time to sit back and unwind.

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Is there a trailer or first-look photos for Bel-Air season 3?

Yes! While there may not be a trailer for Bel-Air season 3 just yet, Peacock revealed nine first-look photos at the highly-anticipated season on May 20, 2024. We see Will and Carlton growing closer, Geoffrey looking a tad worried, Will and Lisa rekindling their relationship, Phil and Viv trying to keep their flame alive, and Hilary and Jazz having a tense discussion. Scroll through the gallery above to see all of the sneak peek photos of Bel-Air season 3.

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Who is in the cast of Bel-Air season 3?

The entire main cast you know and love is returning for Bel-Air season 3 — but get ready to welcome some newer faces, too. That's right: Jabari Banks (who plays Will), Olly Sholotan (Carlton Banks), Coco Jones (Hilary Banks), Akira Akbar (Ashley Banks), Adrian Holmes (Phillip Banks), Cassandra Freeman (Vivian Banks), Jordan L. Jones (Jazz), Jimmy Akingbola (Geoffrey), and Simone Joy (Lisa Wilkes) are confirmed to return for the third season.

Recurring cast members also confirmed to return are Justin Cornwell as Hilary's NFL star ex-boyfriend Lamarcus, Karrueche Tran as Hilary's influencer frenemy Ivy, and Jovian Wade as Geoffrey's estranged son Frederick.

Related: Coco Jones On Bel-Air S2, Short Kings, & Delusional Advice From SZA

New additions to the season 3 cast include Alycia Pascual-Peña (previously seen in Moxie, the Saved by the Bell reboot series, and Neon) and rapper Vic Mensa (The Chi). As confirmed by Deadline, Mensa and Pascual-Peña are set to portray the characters Quentin and Amira, respectively.

While still unconfirmed, it's also possible that we could see the potential return of Will's mom (Vy, portrayed by April Parker Jones) as well as a few other characters like Diandra Lyle as Phil's former colleague and Viv's ex-friend Erika; Brooklyn McLinn as dodgy basketball recruiter and AAU Coach Doc Hightower; Jazlyn Martin as Will's ex-love interest and Doc's niece Jackie; Riele Downs as Carlton's love interest and BSU president Yazmin; and Nicholas Duvernay, Carlton's season 2 antagonist Drew.

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Can you remind me where Bel-Air season 2 left off?

Allow us to jog your memory. So, Bel-Air season 2 started off with a bang, diving straight into the aftermath of season 1's bombshell: Will's father Lou didn't abandon his family, he was actually incarcerated for 13 years. As the Banks family tried to heal, together and apart, growing pains abounded. Will began to navigate his own emotional journey, and struggled to discern who he could trust. His trust issues led him under the wing of Doc Hightower, the mentor-like figure who was actually preying on the dreams of aspiring young basketball players.

Doc's financial shadiness wasn't the only bombshell from the final episodes of season 2. Phil was kissed by his colleague Erika (who was also Viv's old college friend and Phil's ex-girlfriend), and accepted a lunch date with her even after Vivian asked him to keep his distance. Vivian was named the new executive director of the Neeman Fellowship, signaling a brand new chapter of her career.

Ashley has a budding romance with a girl in her class, a foe-turned-friend. Geoffrey is warned to stay away from his son, the child he just relocated after years of estrangement for his safety. Jazz couldn't get over his differences from Hilary, which then led her straight into the arms of her ex-boyfriend Lamarcus — or rather, straight into a first class seat of a baecation to Paris.

Related: Will & Lisa Prove They’re a Perfect Match in New Bel-Air Clip

Lisa dumped Drew after finding out he sabotaged Carlton for the Founders Award, and Will and Jackie drifted apart… which led to Will and Lisa's heartwarming reconciliation. And Carlton did in fact receive the Founders Award, but used his time at the podium to retract his acceptance and confess to his family, friends, and administrators that he was struggling with a drug addiction and needed help.

The season 2 finale ended with an optimistic Will hoping for a better senior year for him, his cousins, and his friends. “What's summer like in Bel-Air anyway?” he asks Lisa. “Oh, you have no idea,” she responds with a smile, and we get the needle drop of all needle drops: “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.

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This story will be updated as more news about Bel-Air season 3 breaks.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

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