While Bel-Air season 4 will be its final outing.

Somewhat surprisingly, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's original star Bel-Air’s version of Carlton is no longer a spoiled nerd, but rather a drug-addicted overachiever whose drive to succeed threatens to derail his life. As such, a campy, winking Smith cameo may not fit.

Bel-Air Ending With Season 4 Means It Can Have The Perfect Will Smith Cameo

Bel-Air’s Planned Ending Makes A Will Smith Cameo More Viable

In the years since the star first received mainstream acclaim for his central role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith has gone on to become one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars. As such, it would be tricky to justify a Will Smith cameo in the grounded world of Bel-Air. Fortunately, this is where the show announcing its final season in advance comes in handy. If Smith were to appear in Bel-Air, saving his role for the final season would be the best approach. Not many shows get to know why they will end beforehand, but Bel-Air does.

It would make sense for an older Smith to appear in season 4, perhaps playing a character who advises Jabari Banks’ protagonist Will on his future.

The best callbacks to Will Smith’s original show in Bel-Air prove that the reboot does have a lot of fidelity to the original series, despite how surprising this may seem. Bel-Air borrows everything from Will's breakdown over his father to the name of Hilary’s fiancé from the earlier series, proving that Bel-Air’s creative debt to the ‘80s hit extends beyond its premise. As such, it would make sense for an older Smith to appear in season 4, perhaps playing a character who advises Jabari Banks’ protagonist Will on his future before the series ends.

Bel-Air Season 4 Doesn’t Need A Will Smith Cameo, But It Would Be A Great Inclusion

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reboot Could Be Elevated By An Appearance From Smith

It would have been silly for Smith to play one of the main characters in Bel-Air and, even if the actor were willing to take on a major role in the reboot, his presence would have been distracting. Will Smith playing Bel-Air’s Uncle Phil sounds fun, but his fame would have eclipsed the young, largely unknown cast . As such, saving Smith’s potential cameo until the final season was a perfect way for the show to avoid Smith inadvertently stealing the spotlight. Now, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air 's reboot Bel-Air can bring back WIll Smith without this issue.

Deadline reports that Bel-Air season 4 will include only 8 episodes, instead of the show's usual 10.

Source: Deadline