Amazingly, it's been 21 years since The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air left the airwaves, which would make Carlton Banks a middle-aged man in 2017. Given that information, one has to wonder what Carton would be up to today if he were an actual person. Actor Alfonso Ribeiro had some answers regarding his famous character, saying he thinks Carlton would've tried to follow in his father's occupational footsteps:
I would believe that Carlton today... He would probably be either a lawyer or working his way to being a judge. I think he really would have followed in his father's footsteps.
That sounds par for the course in this rhetorical scenario where The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air would still be on television today. Just imagine if Carlton was a judge and, by some stroke of luck, Will bursts into the courtroom and decides to defend himself after getting a parking ticket or for disrupting traffic with an overly colorful jacket. That's a plot line that would be ripe for a reunion special, right? To bad that will apparently never happen, at least if Will Smith has anything to say about it.
Alfonso Ribeiro shared his speculations with Yahoo whilst on a press tour for America's Funniest Home Videos, which almost sounds like an alternative (and more meta) career path for Carlton! While Will goes off and stars in edgy and crazy films akin to Suicide Squad or Independence Day, Carlton gets noticed by a talent scout for his honorable and wholesome nature and gets tapped to be the host for the AFHV. Then again, Ribeiro may not be as wholesome as his character on The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, since he also confessed to taking home a bulk of Carlton's sweaters from the show's wardrobe when Fresh Prince ended. Considering the type of high fashion Carlton wore in the show, who can blame him?
As cool as it would be to see Carlton become a judge in a reunion for The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air -- likely wearing one of those sweaters under the robe -- it might be even cooler if Will ended up becoming a judge like his uncle. It wouldn't make much sense considering the TV character likely wouldn't have made it through law school, but Will Smith could definitely imitate James Avery's Uncle Phil if he needed to for some kind of reunion. Perhaps Alfonso Ribeiro can persuade his former castmate to get on board with a comeback special by whipping out the Carlton dance the next time the two men see each other. Let's make this awkward dream a reality!
Those interested in watching The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air on streaming can only do so at this point by purchasing episodes to watch on Amazon Prime Video. For a look at shows that are coming up in the future, be sure to check out our fall premiere guide or jump ahead to our midseason premiere guide and get a look at what's coming in 2018. For a look at some shows that got the ax in 2017, head on over to our cancellation guide.
