Bel-Air Fans Are Divided Over The 'Ambitious' New Hilary Banks

After a long wait, the brand new series Bel-Air has officially dropped, and people are falling head over heels for the modern revamp of Hilary Banks.

In the Fresh Prince reboot, which premiered right after the Super Bowl this weekend, fans of the popular 90's sitcom got to see an all-new Banks family welcome cousin Will to Bel-Air after getting into some trouble back home in Philadelphia.

You can watch the trailer for the new series here:

After hopping off the plane in Los Angeles, Will (Jabari Banks) soon meets super cool Uber driver Jaz (Jordan L. Jones) and the Banks family's chic and smart butler Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola).

Meeting the new Banks family alongside Will, fans were excited to compare and contrast the modernised versions of these beloved characters.

While most are definitely struggling to warm to a much more villainous Carlton (Olly Sholotan) - who is determined to get Will sent back home to Philly - viewers are divided on Hilary Banks.

Played by Coco Jones, Hilary Banks 2.0 is not the self-obsessed air-head that we might remember.

When we first meet her, the eldest sister of the Banks family takes an immediate liking to Will, and makes an enormous effort to make him feel at home.

Adjusting to the 21st century, Hilary is, of course, an influencer with a major following. But she's got passions and ambitions, too. A talented chef, Hilary loves inventing new recipes for her family and followers. And what's more, when she is disrespected or slighted, she's not afraid to stand up for herself.

Sky/Peacock)

A lot of people are absolutely loving this new look for the beloved character, taking to Twitter to praise the reimagining.

"#BelAir The changes to Hilary’s character is definitely the best thing about Bel Air" tweeted one viewer. "Sis ain’t burning up the kitchen no more😂."

A second wrote: "I love the way they reworked Hilary’s character and still kept her a prissy, fashionable Daddy’s girl but made her more ambitious and independent #BelAir."

"Can I just say I love that Hilary Banks is not a ditz even though we love both ! #BelAir" added a third.

Twitter)

While the original Hilary, played by Karyn Parsons, did end up as a successful talk show host in New York City, she was known as a spoiled dim-wit who struggles with basic household skills.

NBC)

But others are having trouble readjusting to the new changes, and miss the old version of the character.

"Not a huge fan of the reimagining of Hilary #BelAir" commented one viewer.

"The fact that Hilary Cooks in Bel Air is so out of place 😩 #BelAir" added a second.

Another tweeted: "I don’t like they changed Hilary from being a bad & bougie bitch to a YouTube influencer! She’s not bougie or stuck up at all. The original Hillary would never be on YouTube cooking & s**t #BelAir."

The first three episodes of Bel-Air are available to watch now on Sky and NOW.

Topics: Will Smith, TV And Film, News

Gabriella Ferlita

Gabriella Ferlita is a full-time journalist at LADbible Group, writing on lifestyle, communities and news across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. When she's not writing, she's fussing over her five-year-old Toyger cat, Clarence.

@Gabriellaf_17