The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, 1990-1996
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air appealed to a young, but faithful audience. This sitcom was a boost to young Will Smith's rise to stardom. Will Smith, whose character was also named Will Smith, is a kid whose mother sends him from a bad neighborhood to affluential Bel-Air. Will moved in with his Uncle Philip and his family, which included Aunt Vivian (Janet Hubert-Whitten seasons I-III and Daphne Maxwell Reed seasons IV-VI) and cousins Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali), Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), and Hilary (Karyn Parsons). Geoffrey (Joseph Marcel) was the family's butler with little patience for Will's laidback style and manners.

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was driven by the conflict of Will's practical street smarts with the cultured, often snobbish customs of Bel-Air. Will and Carlton were opposites, a smart move by writers, which accentuated the differences in the boys.

While the sitcom pointed out differences between rich and poor, it also illustrated the benefit of diverse viewpoints. It showed that, regardless of background, the human condition is common to us all.

I don't think anyone else could pull this off the way Will Smith did.