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Why Peacock’s Re-Imagined ‘Hilary Banks’ Is Winning on ‘Bel-Air’

Coco Jones’ rendition goes beyond “Black Valley Girl” persona, exploring social justice issues while whipping up delicious feasts.

Audarshia Townsend
ZORA
Published in
5 min readMar 20, 2022

Coco Jones as Hilary Banks in “Bel-Air.” Adam Rose/Courtesy of Peacock

Like most people, I was quite hesitant when I first heard that Will Smith was rebooting the early 1990s classic sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

The show spoke to a generation of Black teens and young adults, myself included, who needed an escape from the harsh realities of growing up in a world that wasn’t enthusiastic about us embracing our authentic selves. At the time, we needed that laugh track.

With “Bel-Air,” the re-imagined version starring Jabari Banks as Will Smith, there are very few laughs — and no laugh track. It’s serious business as to how he escaped the rough streets of West Philadelphia to live with his wealthy relatives in a mansion in the gated community of Bel-Air.

Upon arrival, he’s warmly welcomed by his cousin Hilary Banks (Coco Jones), the eldest child of Aunt Viv (Cassandra Freeman) and Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes). I’m obsessed with her storyline. There’s definitely something different about this version of Hilary, who proves immediately that she has strong…

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ZORA
ZORA

Published in ZORA

A publication from Medium that centers the stories, poetry, essays and thoughts of women of color.

Audarshia Townsend
Audarshia Townsend

Written by Audarshia Townsend

Audarshia Townsend is a Chicago-based journalist who writes about how food & beverages impact the culture and industry. Email: Audarshia@townsendmediamagic.com

Responses (3)

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Oh WOW ! I like Coco Jones. She can sing her tale off.
This is interesting .

Coco Jones is dope

few laughs — and no laugh track. It’s serious business as to how he escaped the rough streets of West Philadelphia

rough streets?! Will Smith's neighborhood of West Philadelphia is called Wynnefield. Near St. Joseph's University and City Line Avenue. Just across the avenue from Bala Cynwyd and the beginning of the Main Line. It is a myth that, because it's "the…