The Fresh Prince Project (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)

"The Fresh Prince Project" is the pilot episode of the American sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It aired on September 10, 1990. It guest-stars John Petlock and Helen Page Camp as Henry and Margaret Furth. Tatyana Ali was auditioned in New York City for Quincy Jones when she was 11 years old to play Ashley. This episode was followed by "Bang The Drum, Ashley".

Plot
Street-smart teenager Will Smith is living in West Philadelphia with his mother Viola. When he gets into a fight with a bully named Omar he is sent to live with his wealthy relatives in Bel-Air, the Banks family, and go to the Bel-Air Academy to learn discipline and hard work.

The series picks up where it was left off after the opening credits where the taxi drops him off to the Banks house. When he arrives, the mansion door is opened by the Banks butler Geoffrey. Will first thinks Geoffrey is his uncle Phil, but Geoffrey tells him otherwise. When the Banks arrive at their home, Will's aunt Vivian is very happy to see Will. Phil is also happy at first, but gets angry when he sees the way Will is dressed and he hears Will's street language.

After Will has met his cousins Hillary and Ashley he goes to his room to make himself comfortable. After a while, Geoffrey comes in with a tuxedo. He tells Will that Philip has invited several of his law firm colleagues to dinner and that he didn't know about Will being sent to Bel-Air at the time of the invitation. When Geoffrey leaves, Ashley enters the room. Will and Ashley become friends quickly, and he teaches her how to rap. When she leaves, Philip comes in with Will's cousin Carlton. Will doesn't recognize him at first, but when Philip tells him he starts to make jokes about Carlton. After being told to just do what Carlton does at the dinner, and seeing him being preppy he sees himself in the mirror, dressed as Carlton and screaming in terror.

When Will comes downstairs to the dinner he is wearing his cap, a tuxedo with a colorful shirt and the waist cover at the chest, tuxedo pants and sneakers. When Philip sees this he gets very embarrassed and reluctantly introduces Will to his colleagues. Will acts like he does normally and embarrasses Philip. When they are sitting at the dinner table, Philip gets more and more furious, first because of Will beat-boxing and hitting glasses with a fork, and later when Ashley is going to say grace, she raps instead. Later in the evening, Philip talks to Will about the dinner. Will says that Philip does not know how life is on the streets, but Philip confronts him by telling him that he grew up on the streets of Baltimore. He also claims that he heard Malcolm X speak after Will says Malcolm was his hero in the beginning of the episode. When Philip is leaving the living room, he suddenly stops when Will plays "Für Elise" by Beethoven on the piano. Philip looks at Will and smiles.

When Will goes upstairs he looks into Ashley's room, and sees her dance. He joins her before she discovers him, and they talk. When they are going to wash themselves, they discover that the two bathrooms are occupied by a singing Carlton and a gargling Hillary. When Will and Ashley knock at the door to the bathroom that Hillary is in, she tells them to go away. They pretend to go away, but they hide behind a nearby wall. When Hillary opens the door and looks out, Will jumps out and screams "I knew it!".

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The episode truly shows how The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was going to be.
 * 2) It introduces memorable characters such as Will, Carlton, Phillip and others.
 * 3) Even though it's the first episode, we see how Will must know to adjust to his life and must accept what he will be living in.
 * 4) The Writing and Concept is really good and interesting.
 * 5) It brings great character development between Will and Phillip.
 * 6) Many of the jokes in this episode is hilarious and is full of unforgettable lines.
 * 7) One example could be Hilary's line, "Daddy I need $300".
 * 8) Great Ending to the episode of Phillip scolding Will for his actions.
 * 9) It is an excellent way to begin the Series.

Reception
The Fresh Prince Project received positive reception from many fans and critics alike. It received an 8/10 on IMDb.

WatchMojo ranked it the 10th Best Episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.