The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Overview
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC
from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith
as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia
who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their wealthy Bel Air mansion, where his lifestyle often clashes with that of his relatives. The 148 episodes were transmitted over six seasons.
Will Smith
was a popular and successful rapper
during the late 1980s, but because he had spent money too freely and grossly underpaid his income taxes, he was assessed a penalty of $2.8 million by the IRS
.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their wealthy Bel Air mansion, where his lifestyle often clashes with that of his relatives. The 148 episodes were transmitted over six seasons.
Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
was a popular and successful rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
during the late 1980s, but because he had spent money too freely and grossly underpaid his income taxes, he was assessed a penalty of $2.8 million by the IRS
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
.