The pilot episode of the series. Will meets the family, but in a harbinger for the remainder of the series, Will ruinsUncle Phil 's evening party and they argue over his negative influence on cousin Ashley .Surprisingly, it turns out that everyone in the family is beginning to grow fond of Will.
Uncle Phil explains how he "also grew up on the streets" and respected Malcolm X who is Will's hero; but he also uses his mind and works hard to achieve and so should Will. However, Uncle Phil learns this lesson himself when he hears Will play Beethoven on their piano, showing there is more to his nephew than just his background.
After getting into trouble in West Philadelphia, Will's mother sends him to live with his aunt Vivian and uncle Phil in Bel-Air because his mother feels that Will would be safer and learn more in Bel-Air.
Upon his arrival, Will brings with him part of West Philly.
His rap style, his behavior, and his flare for trouble wreak havoc on the Banks' household.Philip has some of his law firm associates over for a get-together and they were quite surprised to find Ashley doing a rap song that Will had taught her.
This does not help Uncle Phil's image with his bank associates and Will and the Banks get off to a rocky start. The episode ends with Philip leaving to bed but not before hearing will play Beethoven on the piano, changing his perception of Will.
Will was 17 years old when he first moved in with his aunt and uncle, but Will Smith was actually 19 years old when he taped this pilot episode.
The cab driver in the opening sequence is The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's executive producer, Quincy Jones.
In the pilot episode, the back of the living room set has 2 windows. For the rest of season 1, there are doors leading out of the house.
According to the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" retrospective included as an extra feature on the first season DVD boxset, Vivian Banks' name was originally Wendy Banks, but director Debbie Allen felt Vivian would be a better name and the producers loved it right away.Alfonso Ribeiro's last name is incorrectly spelled "Ribiero" in the opening credits
In the scene where Will sees himself looking like Carlton, the mirror was actually covered by a rectangle with another scene in which Will wears clothing just like Carlton's.Geoffrey introduces himself to Will verbally as Geoffrey (but never tells him how it's spelled). A short time later, Will refers to him as "G" even though the common U.S. spelling would seem to call for the letter "J
."The song Will played on the piano after the party is "Fur Elise" by Beethoven.At the end of the episode, Carlton is singing "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney & Wings in the shower.
