From who’s in the cast to certain plot points, here’s what you need to know going into Bel-Air season 2.

Reawakening a sitcom from the dawn of the ‘90s and turning it into a drama for a 21st century audience means synchronously displaying just how much has changed — and how much hasn’t. Bel-Air, a reimagined version of the classic Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, is like its source material in that it’s about the dynamic of a Black family. Going into Bel-Air season 2 though, it’s clear that the series (which has already become one of the best shows on Peacock) is intent on separating itself from the original.

The network censors are silenced, and coarse language like the N-word reverberates throughout scenes. Serious subject matter that encompasses drug abuse, mental health, sexuality and more is explored with no laugh track to remedy the tension. Unlike Fresh Prince and countless other ‘90s Black sitcoms that, as TVGuide’s Malcolm Venable wrote, “intended to be universally appealing,” Bel-Air isn’t playing that game. As season 1 showed, drama is at the forefront, and season 2 will presumably amp it up as we make our long-awaited return to Bel-Air.

Here’s what you need to know going into Bel-Air season 2.

GET THE REST AT OKAYPLAYER