The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was based on a format by which duo?

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was based on a format by Benny Medina and Jeff Pollack.

Medina, a music executive and producer, developed the television concept with his business partner Jeff Pollack. The premise drew loosely on Medina’s experiences growing up in a difficult neighborhood before entering the affluent world of a Beverly Hills family.

The finished sitcom changed important details. Its central character became a fictionalized Will Smith from West Philadelphia, and the wealthy household became the Black Banks family in Bel-Air. Andy and Susan Borowitz then created the series for television, while Quincy Jones helped bring the project together and served as an executive producer.

The phrase “based on a format by” is easy to misread. It does not mean Medina and Pollack wrote every episode or that the show was a direct autobiography. It identifies the pair as the source of the underlying concept and format, while the Borowitzes shaped the sitcom’s characters, scripts, and structure.