“Bel-Air” is getting a new showrunner — again.
The Peacock drama series is undergoing a change at the top behind the scenes for the third time as it prepares its second season at the NBCUniversal streamer.
Carla Banks Waddles, who previously served as a writer and co-executive producer on Season 1, will now take over as showrunner and executive producer. She takes over from TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson, who have departed the series over creative differences, an individual with knowledge of the situation says. They will still be credited as executive producers going forward.
Waddles is currently under an overall deal with Universal Television, which produces the series. Brady and Newson themselves were named co-showrunners on Season 1 following the departure of Diane Houston. Houston had taken over from the show’s original showrunner, Chris Collins, who departed the show long before Season 1 had aired.
“Bel Air,” a dramatic reboot of the beloved sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” based on a viral video by Morgan Cooper, was originally picked up for two seasons when Peacock ordered it to series in September 2020. The series stars Jabari Banks as Will, a kid from West Philadelphia who moves in with his auntie and uncle in the posh Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air. The cast also includes Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar, Jimmy Akingbola, Jordan L. Jones, and Simone Joy Jones.
Along with Waddles, Cooper is also an executive producer on the series along with Malcolm Spellman, Will Smith, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Benny Medina, Quincy Jones, Andy & Susan Borowitz, Anthony Sparks, and Brady and Newson. Universal Television produces with Westbrook Studios.
