DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince reunite when A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop happens on CBS. The concert special airs Sunday, December 10 and also streams on Paramount Plus. 

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were a rap duo from Philadelphia that came to be in the mid ‘80s. Jeff Townes is DJ Jazzy Jeff. Will Smith parlayed his Fresh Prince character into the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which was on NBC from 1990 to 1996. He became a fixture in big-time feature films as well, including Men in Black, Independence Day, I Am Legend, Aladdin and King Richard. 

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince songs include “Summertime” and “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”

The 50 Years of Hip Hop event tapes November 8 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. Other performers include Arrested Development, Big Daddy Kane, Common, Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Digable Planets, Jeezy, Jermaine Dupri, Talib Kweli, MC Lyte, MC Sha-Rock, Monie Love, The Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rakim, Remy Ma, Three 6 Mafia, T.I., YG and Yo-Yo. 

A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Jesse Collins, Shawn Gee and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of Two One Five Entertainment, Dionne Harmon, Claudine Joseph, LL Cool J, Fatima Robinson and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay are executive producers. Marcelo Gama directs the special. 

Apple TV Plus’ drama Emancipation starring Will Smith and the return of HBO’s fantasy drama His Dark Materials highlight the list of new shows premiering during the first full week of December. 

The December 9 premiere of Emancipation, which follows the travails of a man who escapes from slavery, stars Will Smith in his first major project since his infamous slap of Chris Rock during last March’s Academy Awards Ceremony.

HBO on December 5 will debut the third and final season of its fantasy series His Dark Materials. Two new episodes will debut each week leading up to the series finale on December 26, according to the network.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of December 5 to December 11 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

December 8 – Doom Patrol (returning series) – HBO Max

December 8 – South Side (returning series) – HBO Max

December 9 – Little America (returning series) – Apple TV Plus

December 9 -- Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio (animated movie) -- Netflix

December 9 -- Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (animated movie) -- Disney Plus

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars, after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock made a quip that referenced Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Pinkett Smith lives with alopecia, which causes hair loss. 

“Jada, I love you,” said the comedian. “G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait.”

Demi Moore had shaved her head for her role in the 1997 movie G.I. Jane. 

Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes after the joke was made. Smith walked onstage and slapped Rock. After returning to his seat, he twice shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth,” as ABC bleeped out the curse. 

Also: The Streaming Oscars Finally Arrive; When Will the Streamed Oscar Ceremony Come?

Rock, evidently shaken, said, "That was uh, greatest night in the history of television."

Smith later won best actor for his role in King Richard, his first Oscar. In his speech, he apologized to the Academy and to his fellow nominees for his behavior, but did not mention Rock. An emotional Smith noted that Richard Williams, who he played in the movie about Venus and Serena Williams, “was a fierce defender of his family.”

Smith added, “I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.”

CNN and other outlets reported that the Los Angeles Police Department said Rock declined to file a police report.

Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosted the Oscars on ABC. 

Coda won best picture, the first time a streaming service, Apple TV Plus, has won the Academy Award for best picture. ■

NBC‘s Super Bowl LVI telecast will most likely draw the year‘s biggest television audience, but a lot of buzz is building for another show debuting this Sunday, Peacock‘s drama series Bel-Air. 

The series, based on NBC‘s 1990-96 sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,  is the industry’s latest remake/reimagining of a classic TV series. But unlike similar efforts such as Netflix’s Fuller House and Peacock’s own Saved by the Bell, Bel-Air offers a unique twist: it‘s a dramatic revision of the comedy-driven Will Smith vehicle. In other words, it’s not your father’s Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. 

Initially born from a 2019 viral video by Morgan Cooper, the series follows the premise of Fresh Prince as the series’ main character, Will — Smith's character in the original series, now portrayed by newcomer Jabari Banks — moves from gritty West Philadelphia to an upscale California enclave to live with his aunt’s family. That’s where the comparisons end as Bel-Air, which is executive-produced by Smith, turns from a comedy into a gritty drama series.

Also: Peacock's 'Bel-Air' Draws Sponsors Lexus, State Farm, Unilever, Xfinity

Peacock is hoping that Bel-Air can serve as a successful remake that attempts to ”flip, turn upside down” the original series on its head for a new generation of viewers. The fact that the high-profile show is debuting on Peacock Sunday instead of on NBC in the coveted primetime slot right after the Super Bowl (NBC's live Winter Olympics coverage will air after the game) says a lot about NBC Universal's confidence in the show's ability to draw viewers to the streaming service. 

“The original show had a certain feeling to it, and if this show has more than a negative feeling to, it then it's a risk,” TV analyst Bill Carroll said. “At the end of the day, Bel-Air still deals with the premise of a fish out of water in a new situation, but it just isn’t a multicamera sitcom.”

Carroll also predicted that the current trend of TV show remakes and reboots will not end anytime soon. Indeed, among the already announced reboots so far this year are series remakes of films Cheaper by the Dozen, Pitch Perfect and Waiting to Exhale, as well as reboots of classic NBC sitcoms Frasier and Night Court.

“In this current environment with so many options, to get something sampled is the most difficult thing to do,” he said. “The first way to differentiate is to be known, and that’s what these shows have — a known concept that people relate to.” ■ 

National Geographic has tapped high-profile actors Will Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch to host new shows as part of the network’s development slate of new non-fiction and national history series for Disney Plus, the network announced Monday during its Television Critics Association Winter press tour presentation 

New shows highlighted include Pole to Pole, in which Smith (Nat Geo's Welcome to Earth) traverses from the South Pole to the North Pole; and Super/Natural, in which Cumberbatch narrates how super sensing animals and insects experience the national world, according to the network. 

Also on the docket is America the Beautiful, a national history series narrated by Michael B. Jordan that examines North America and its animals; Beyond Belief with David Blaine, in which the famed magician travels around the world to reveal closed guarded magic and cultures and We Feed People, from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer debuting May 27 on Disney Plus. 

Other shows in development include Great Migrations, which takes a fresh look at our planet on the move; Home, a definitive portrait of life on Earth from BBC Studios’ National History Unit; the Jon Favreau-produced Lion, which tells the profound story of one pride of lions from Jon Favreau; the James Cameron-produced Secrets of the Elephants and Secrets of the Octopus; Sentient, and The Biggest Little Farm docuseries. ■ 

Peacock Monday offered a first-look trailer at its upcoming drama series Bel-Air, launching on the streaming service Super Bowl Sunday, February 13.

The series, a reimagining of NBC’s 1990s comedy series Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and executive produced by Fresh Prince star Will Smith, takes a “fresh and raw approach to this world of swagger, style, and aspiration, while exploring Will’s complex journey through a current lens,” said the streaming service.

Bel-Air stars Jabari Banks, Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar, Jimmy Akingbola, Jordan Jones and Simone Joy Jones. Along with Smith, executive producers for the series include T.J. Brady, Rasheed Newson, Morgan Cooper, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Malcolm Spellman, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and Andy & Susan Borowitz.

Cooper said in a statement that Bel-Air looks to delve deeper into the lives of the show’s characters compared to the original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sitcom. “With this dramatic reimagining, we wanted to create a show that stands on its own while honoring the spirit and innovation of the original series,” he said. “Because Bel-Air is a drama, we're able to really peel back the layers of these characters and themes in a way that you simply couldn't do 30 years ago in the half-hour sitcom format.” ■ 

Streaming service Peacock has release a teaser video for its upcoming drama series Bel-Air, debuting in 2022.

The series, a dramatic spinoff of NBC’s 1990s comedy series Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, stars Jabari Banks in the role originally played by Will Smith. The new series is executive produced by Smith along with Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Malcolm Spellman, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and Andy & Susan Borowitz.

Also starring in Bel-Air are Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones and Akira Akbar. ■ 

YouTube Originals on Nov. 8 will premiere a six-part unscripted series documenting actor Will Smith's quest to get physically and mentally fit.

The series, Best Shape of My Life, follows Smith as he is pushed to his limits physically, mentally and emotionally, said company officials. The docuseries chronicles Smith’s desire to get into great physical shape as it takes a profound journey into the actor’s overall psyche.

Best Shape of My Life is produced by Westbrook Media.

Also: Disney Plus Unveils Trailer for Will Smith's 'Welcome to Earth'

Disney Plus has rolled out a first look trailer for its documentary series Welcome to Earth starring actor Will Smith.

The six-part series follows Smith on an adventure around the world to explore Earth’s greatest wonders and reveal its most hidden secrets, according to the streaming service.  Smith is guided by elite explorers as he gets up close and personal with spectacles on the planet — from volcanoes that roar in silence to deserts that move beyond our perception to animal swarms with minds of their own, said Disney Plus.

Welcome to Earth is Protozoa Pictures, Nutopia and Westbrook Studios, and executive produced by Smith, Jane Root, Peter Lovering, Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Matt Renner and Chris Kugelman.

National Geographic has signed actor Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios to a five-year, first-look deal to produce unscripted programming.

The deal, announced during National Geographic’s virtual TCA Summer session Wednesday, comes on the heels of Smith’s adventure series, Welcome to Earth, which will debut on Disney Plus next year. The series follows Smith as he embarks on an global journey to unlock the secrets of the most extraordinary and unexplained phenomena of nature, according to the network. 

“Having spent the past two years working with Will and the team at Westbrook Studios (along with Darren Aronofsky and Nutopia) on Welcome to Earth, we are thrilled to be expanding our relationship with them and entering into a long-term partnership to produce blockbuster nonfiction content,” said National  Geographic president Courteney Monroe in a statement.  “Will and Westbrook share our passion for telling bold, best-in-class stories that ignite curiosity and inspire people to explore and care about our world, and we can’t wait to see where our next adventures together take us.”

YouTube announced new projects at the Brandcast Delivered event. They include an unscripted series following Will Smith on his fitness journey, an Alicia Keys docuseries and a Migos-produced series that explores racial inequality through the lens of hip-hop jewelry. 

Will Smith project Best Shape of My Life (working title) has six parts and sees Smith try to rebuild his middle-aged body “into the best shape of his life,” said YouTube, while “getting his groove back along the way.” 

Westbrook Media and YouTube Originals produce. Dexton Deboree is the showrunner. YouTube called the series “fun, funny, inspirational, wildly adventurous, and deeply entertaining.” 

It premieres next year. 

Alicia Keys series Noted (working title) premieres this summer. Ramping up to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Songs in a Minor and preparing to record her eighth album, Keys lets fans peer into her world. 

There are four parts. Westbrook Media produces. 

Ice Cold, about hip-hop jewelry and racial inequality, has four parts and premieres this summer. 

Migos executive produces. Quality Films, Universal Music Group’s Mercury Studios and Polygram Entertainment, MGX Creative and Mass Appeal produce. 

Recipe for Change (working title) premieres June 16. Asian-American storytellers bring together celebrities, chefs, activists, and creators to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander culture and discuss the recent acts of hate and violence against the community. 

LeBron James and Maverick Carter executive produce on behalf of SpringHill Company. Michelle Kwan and Dennis Cheng also executive produce alongside Jamal Henderson and Philip Byron of the SpringHill Company, showrunner Joel Relampagos, and director Rich Kim.

Barbershop Medicine premieres this summer. The special explores the impact race and socio-economic status have on healthcare and longevity. Musical artist Masego, physicians Dr. Italo Brown and Dr. Jamie Rutland and community members in a storied barbershop come together to discuss health issues. 

Barbershop Medicine is executive produced by Charles D. King, Marta Fernandez, Jelani Johnson and Aisha Corpas Wynn for MACRO Television Studios and Culture House. Hashim Williams is executive producer and showrunner.

Season three of Liza on Demand premieres later this year. Liza Koshy stars in this series about the misadventures of 20somethings. Koshy executive produces with Courtney Carter, Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont, Marc Lieberman, Ally Engelberg, Caroline Miller and Elliot Glazer.

Season two of Could You Survive the Movies premieres this summer. Jake Roper hosts. 

Susanne Daniels is global head of original content for YouTube. Alex Piper is head of unscripted for YouTube Originals and Nadine Zylstra is head of family, learning and impact.

Peacock has ordered two seasons of Bel-Air, a “dramatic analogue,” in Peacock’s words, of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Star Will Smith announced the news on his social media channels. 

Cinematographer Morgan Cooper will direct, co-write and co-executive produce while Chris Collins is showrunner and executive producer. Westbrook Studios and Universal Television are producing the series.

The new series will be based on a short film Cooper made in early 2019, which re-imagined the show’s central story—a black teenager, facing dangers on the streets of Philadelphia, sent by his mother to live with his uncle, a judge, for the purposes of refuge and redemption.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was about a kid shifting from the streets of West Philadelphia to moneyed Bel-Air in Los Angeles. The comedy ran on NBC for six seasons. 

“With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show,” said Peacock. 

Serialized episodes will last an hour. 

HBO Max will do a one-time reunion special with the Fresh Prince cast marking the 30th anniversary of the series premiere. The special tapes Sept. 10. Cast members Will Smith, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro and DJ Jazzy Jeff are on board. 

Additional executive producers on the Peacock series are Will Smith, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and Andy & Susan Borowitz.

Traditional TV distributors and content creators just got more to worry about. Netflix movies don’t have to be actually good anymore, they just don’t have to be disappointing. The power of the brand drives satisfaction and for cable, satellite TV and telco TV operators that should be terrifying.

In a research note Sanford Bernstein media analyst Todd Juenger addressed concerns whether Netflix’s $12 billion content budget is money well spent. The law of averages would assume that at some point, Netflix has to release a string of duds, which will panic investors and send the stock into a tailspin, thus justifying the traditional pay TV business model and we can all rest easy like it’s 1990 and cable will just keep growing and growing, right?

No, no, no, no and wrong.

Juenger pointed to Will Smith sci-fi vehicle Bright, which Netflix released in December and critics lambasted as “wretched,” “an absolute mess”  and “a movie with blockbuster aspirations and faerie-sized brains.” So it’s no surprise that the movie, which sported a $90 million budget, got a 27% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. What was surprising, is that viewers liked it. A lot.

According to Nielsen data, more than 13 million Netflix subscribers watched Bright on its opening week, and its Rotten Tomatoes audience score is currently 85%. For Juenger that disparity isn’t so much a condemnation of the general public’s grasp of cinematic excellence (or failure) but that Netflix not only shouldn’t care about critics, they actually don’t.

Want proof? Netflix announced in January that it has greenlighted a Bright sequel.

Netflix also has its share of critically acclaimed programming – Icarus won the Academy Award for Best Documentary last week and its documentaries have garnered several Oscar nominations dating back to 2013. This year Mary J. Blige was nominated for Best Actress for a Netflix movie, Mudbound, which also attracted nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, Original Song and Cinematography. Netflix also has won scores of Emmy Awards in the past several years, so on that front, it is far from a slouch.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has said the success of Bright highlights the disconnect between critics and the general public, and also points to the differences between international and U.S. audiences – the movie did better overseas.

But Juenger believes that it also shows the positive association Netflix customers have with the brand – it’s fun to use and only costs $10 a month – which he says makes Netflix customers pre-disposed to reacting favorably to practically anything the company does.

“In other words, they go into a Netflix show expecting to like it,” Juenger wrote. “So guess what, when they are finished, they confirm their bias and tell themselves they did. A self-fulfilling prophecy.”

But Juenger doesn’t believe it stops there. He argues that in many cases, if you put the same show on any cable network, the reaction would be the opposite.

“Much to the frustration of TV executives, we believe there are scores of shows that have been launched on traditional TV in recent years, and failed, that would have had a completely different (positive) reception had they been launched on Netflix,” Juenger wrote. “…We don't think the huge consumption and positive reviews from Netflix members are a result of that community believing it was an amazing piece of cinematic art. We think much more likely they found it a fun, guilty pleasure, something different and bite-sized, with a big Hollywood star and some special effects, that they could watch with their date, or spouse, or family some weekend evening – for ‘free.’”

While Bright should make some TV executives nervous, Juenger also pointed to a new TV series that should keep them up nights.

Dark isn’t the first Netflix hit to be offered in a foreign language – that honor should probably go to Narcos. But while Narcos had subject matter familiar to U.S. viewers – the Colombian drug trade – and was offered in a language (Spanish) that is familiar to millions of Americans, Dark was not. Shot in Germany in German, Dark is a supernatural thriller that follows four families in a fictional town as they investigate the disappearance of several children. Many saw the series as an attempt by Netflix to attract local foreign audiences. But according to Netflix chief product officer Greg Peters, more than 90% of Dark’s viewership came from outside Germany. That should send shivers down the collective spines of U.S. TV executives.  

Because that means that not only does Netflix get an “A” for brand recognition, quality and satisfaction– do you know of a single cable operator who can even come close? – now it doesn’t even matter if viewers can understand its shows. Sure, there are English subtitles, but Americans are supposed to hate to read, especially when they’re watching TV. Netflix has upended another tried and true American idiom.

I have said for years that cable operators don’t deserve their bad service reputation – ask the average schlub if they hate their cable company and most will respond with an enthusiastic “Yes!” Then ask them if they love their broadband provider (most likely a cable company) and they will respond in the affirmative with equal enthusiasm. Cable has tried for years to break that chain and they have made some progress, but they are nowhere near the finish line.

On the flip side, streaming services have been plagued by frequent service outages almost from the get-go, and yet inspire a fraction of the hatred of their cable counterparts.

But this seems different. Cable has for years been the go-to place for quality programming – in fact, Netflix was built on the back of past seasons of cable shows like Breaking Bad and others. It’s not like cable is going to lose its quality mantle overnight. But Netflix’s ability to pay top dollar for shows and talent – it agreed to sign showrunner Ryan Murphy to a five-year deal worth $275 million – could make it increasingly difficult for cable and broadcast to compete.    

If the momentum from Bright and Dark continues, and given Netflix’s track record, that is likely, then it turns the whole model on its ear. It used to be that programmers produced content for a specific country expecting only people inside that region to watch it – German-language shows for Germany, French-language programming for France, and so on.

“If Netflix can invest in German content (or French, or Portuguese, or Italian, or Korean, etc.), and derive value from that content globally, that completely changes the ROI equation for investing in local market content,” Juenger wrote. “The return on the investment is no longer calculated based on the number of German subscribers [that] can be attracted and retained by a body of German-language content. The content is now also generating a return across the entire world.”

As of last count, Netflix had about 118 million global customers. Earlier this week  Pivotal Research Group CEO and senior media & communications analyst Jeff Wlodarczak estimated that Netflix could have 250 million international subscribers by 2024.

In a research note, Wlodarczak wrote that Netflix appears to be operating in a “virtuous cycle” – the larger their customer base grows, the more they can spend on content, which grows the base, increases barriers to entry and raises the ability to take future price increases.

“All else being equal with the broader markets, as long as Netflix continues to beat and raise on subscribers we believe the stock will continue to work,” Wlodarczak wrote.

Amazon Studios’ coming-of-age comedy series Red Oaks features a star-studded cast, which includes Craig Roberts, Richard Kind, Jennifer Grey and Paul Reiser. Grey, who starred in the hit 1987 film Dirty Dancing, and Reiser, best-known for his role in the 1990s sitcom Mad About You, spoke to Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about their new series, as well as how OTT players such as Amazon are changing the traditional television marketplace. An edited transcript follows.

NTV:Given the multitude of projects being developed for both traditional television and for the digital platform, what drew you to Amazon Studios andRed Oaks?

Jennifer Grey: I was at home raising a family, so in order to take me from being there for pickups and dropoffs, I needed to find good material and good people, and this came along. The writing was spectacular, and David Gordon Green, Greg Jacobs, Joe Gangemi wrote the script, and Stephen Soderbergh is the executive producer, so it featured great filmmakers and great actors.

Paul Reiser: Sometimes you get a great part and not great people, or vice versa, but here you have a great script and the cast is full of interesting people. Once in a while you get a hunch and say to yourself this will be good, and it surpassed our expectations.

NTV:Both of you are veterans of traditional broadcast television, butRed Oakswill be carried on OTT service Amazon Prime Instant Video. What does Amazon bring to the table?

PR: It’s a really cool time for television. As you said there are so many more outlets for shows, and the quality gets to rise. Suddenly, Steven Soderbergh is doing television, and even this isn’t really television — Amazon a year ago was just books and gardening supplies, and now it’s offering comedy. You don’t get any sense that they’re new to this world — it was like working for a great studio that’s been doing this forever, and they are attracting great filmmakers and great projects.

JG: They have great taste and they are moving toward creating their own brand of material and really doing it their own way. I’m always impressed by people who decide to break the rules and say ‘I’m going to try this,’ then get the best of the best and make sure everyone has a really good time.

NTV:BeyondRed Oaks, are you working on any other projects?

PR: I’m going to be in the new Will Smith movie, Concussion, that’s coming out in Christmas. Of course, we’re hoping for Red Oaks season two.

JG: I have a teenager at home so I have my work cut out for me. I’m looking for another job to get me out of the house. (Laughs.)

NTV:At this point in your careers, do you have a preference of working in the movie field or on television?

JG: I’m all about the material. If its good material, I don’t care about the size of the [screen] — I care about the material and who I get to act with.

PR: At this point, it’s hard to know the difference. This felt like a movie — we went away for eight weeks on location so it felt like a movie. Nowadays people watch movies on a phone and TV shows on large screens — the worlds have so melded.

Netflix has tapped actor/musician Jaden Smith for its new music-driven drama The Get Down, said network officials.

Smith, the son of actor Will Smith, joins the cast for the 1970s Bronx series in the role of Marcus "Dizzee" Kipling, 18, a psychedelically talented and enigmatic graffiti writer raised in the South Bronx, said Netflix. The Baz Luhrmann-produced series will debut on the OTT service in 2016.

"We as an audience have known Jaden since he was very young," said Luhrmann in a statement. "We’re all very happy with the casting of Jaden in the role of 'Dizzee' Kipling, and with his addition, the Kipling family cast is now complete." 

Previously announced cast members include Jimmy Smits, Herizen Guardiola, Justice Smith, Shameik Moore, Skylan Brooks, Tremaine Brown, Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen and Mamoudou Athie.