9.0/1012 votesLoading...#1 - Papa's Got a Brand-New Excuse
Season 4 Episode 24 - Aired 5/9/1994
Ben Vereen plays Will's long-lost father, who breezes into town and promises Will the moon, which angers an unforgiving Philip.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: David Zuckerman, Bill Boulware
8.7/1010 votesLoading...#2 - Bullets Over Bel-Air
Season 5 Episode 15 - Aired 2/6/1995
A planned camping trip is cut short for Carlton and Will when a robber approaches them at an automated bank-teller machine - and fires a gun.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Eddie Gorodetsky, Maiya Williams
8.6/1012 votesLoading...#3 - Mistaken Identity
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/15/1990
Jailed, Will and Carlton stage a media stunt.
Director: Jeff Melman
Writer: Andy Borowitz, Susan Borowitz
8.6/1010 votesLoading...#4 - Just Say Yo
Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 2/15/1993
Will learns a sobering lesson after Carlton pops the wrong pills from Will's locker, mistaking amphetamines for vitamins, and winds up in hospital.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Efrem Seeger
8.5/1012 votesLoading...#5 - I, Done (2)
Season 6 Episode 24 - Aired 5/20/1996
The Banks move out. The Jeffersons are about to move in. And Will turns out the lights.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Jeff Pollack
8.4/1011 votesLoading...#6 - Banks Shot
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 2/25/1991
Will crawls to Philip for help after sneaking out on the town and getting hustled by sleazy pool sharks.
Director: Jeff Melman
Writer: Bennie R. Richburg Jr.
8.4/108 votesLoading...#7 - All Guts, No Glory
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 9/27/1993
Registration day finds Will signing up for no-brainer classes, plus one that might truly challenge him - a philosophy course he takes to meet a girl.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Maiya Williams
8.4/108 votesLoading...#8 - Home is Where the Heart Attack Is
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 11/15/1993
Will sneaks greasy, high-fat foods to Philip after he promises to diet and exercise, then blames himself when Philip has a heart attack.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Eddie Gorodetsky
8.2/1013 votesLoading...#9 - Burnin' Down the House
Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 9/18/1995
While Carlton is away at a Young Republican camp, Will cooks up a flambe of a disaster on a night when an influential judge is coming to dinner, and Will can only make it through the night with the help of Geoffrey, and other plan is not to make Phil find out.
Director: Madeline Cripe
Writer: Joel Madison, Adam Markowitz
8.1/108 votesLoading...#10 - Strip-Tease for Two
Season 2 Episode 24 - Aired 5/4/1992
Will and Carlton lose their shirts investing on a tip - then take jobs as strippers to recoup their losses and get Vivian's bracelet out of hock.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Leslie Ray, David Steven Simon
8.1/1010 votesLoading...#11 - Asses to Ashes
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 11/16/1992
Election results are in and Philip fights to remain cool amid lies by Judge Robertson, which prompt Will to confront the outspoken incumbent. Will Will go to far? Will he say what everyone is feeling? Will Judge Robertson be able to take it?
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Bryan Winter
8.1/108 votesLoading...#12 - Winner Takes Off
Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 1/4/1993
Geoffrey humiliates himself by insulting the Banks family and quitting his job when Will and Carlton trick him into thinking he has won millions of dollars in the lottery.
Director: Werner Walian
Writer: Casey Maxwell Clair
8.1/108 votesLoading...#13 - The Alma Matter
Season 3 Episode 18 - Aired 2/8/1993
Depressed and suicidal over having ruined his chances of attending Princeton University, Carlton is visited by his Guardian Angel, who shows him how awful the Banks family would be if he weren't alive.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Bryan Winter
8.1/108 votesLoading...#14 - Ain't No Business Like Show Business
Season 3 Episode 22 - Aired 4/12/1993
Will lands a spot in a comedy showcase after accompanying a comic friend to an audition.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: N/A
8.1/108 votesLoading...#15 - Will Goes a-Courtin'
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 10/18/1993
When Phillip sues Will and Carlton for unpaid rent, two different versions of the dispute are aired - neither entirely truthful.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Bill Boulware
8.0/108 votesLoading...#16 - Will Gets a Job
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 9/23/1991
Will tries to juggle school and a new job in order to earn money for the homecoming party, at the same time Ashley's classmate Tina becomes interested in Carlton. Will starts becoming paranoid when he constantly is getting confused with Carlton.
Director: Ellen Gittelsohn
Writer: Efrem Seeger
8.0/108 votesLoading...#17 - Cased Up
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 11/11/1991
A pompous lawyer who's dating Hilary is no fan of Will's after he's sideswiped by Will's roadster.
Director: Ellen Gittelsohn
Writer: Bennie R. Richburg Jr.
8.0/108 votesLoading...#18 - Six Degrees of Graduation
Season 3 Episode 24 - Aired 5/10/1993
Vy anticipates Will's graduation with enthusiasm, but there may be discord when she learns Will is failing music. To pass his music class, Will must sing at the graduation ceremony - with a class of eight-year-olds.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Bryan Winter, Efrem Seeger
8.0/109 votesLoading...#19 - Sleepless in Bel-Air
Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 1/3/1994
Will pays for putting off studying for a midterm until the last minute, and Ashley pays for staying out late on her first date.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Maiya Williams
8.0/108 votesLoading...#20 - The Philadelphia Story
Season 4 Episode 26 - Aired 5/23/1994
Will returns to the City of Brotherly Love and discovers he's the butt of old friends' jokes, prompting him to go into training to settle an old score and clear his reputation as a chicken.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Eddie Gorodetsky, Maiya Williams
8.0/109 votesLoading...#21 - The Script Formerly Known As...
Season 6 Episode 5 - Aired 10/16/1995
Will decides to book a juror dismissed from Philip's big show-biz madam sex-scandal case for Hilary's show, which results in embarrassment for Judge Banks and some annoying apologies from Will and Hilary.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Felicia D. Henderson
8.0/1010 votesLoading...#22 - Not With My Cousin You Don't
Season 6 Episode 7 - Aired 11/6/1995
Freakin' out! On the home intercom, Will and Carlton overhear Ashley talking about sex.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Adam Markowitz
8.0/109 votesLoading...#23 - There's the Rub (2)
Season 6 Episode 10 - Aired 11/20/1995
Will and Philip are arrested at a massage parlor on Thanksgiving. Hilary and Carlton get a lesson in humility at the homeless shelter.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Joel Madison
8.0/109 votesLoading...#24 - Eye, Tooth
Season 6 Episode 22 - Aired 5/13/1996
William Shatner stars as Hilary's talk-show guest, but Will must find a way to beam him from the dentist's chair to the set. Meanwhile, Hilary's show treks to New York and Ashley insists on tagging along.
Director: Shelley Jensen
Writer: Adam Markowitz
7.9/1012 votesLoading...#25 - Not with My Pig, You Don't
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/1/1990
Will tries to smooth things between Philip and his very rural parents when they visit to see him receive an award.
Director: Jeff Melman
Writer: Lisa Rosenthal
The Best Episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Every episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!
Will, a street-smart teenager, moves from the tough streets of West Philly to posh Bel-Air to live with his Uncle Philip, Aunt Vivian, his cousins...
Genres:ComedyFamily
Network:NBC
Best Episodes Summary
"Papa's Got a Brand-New Excuse" is the best rated episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". It scored 9/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by Shelley Jensen and written by David Zuckerman, Bill Boulware, it aired on 5/9/1994. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "Bullets Over Bel-Air".