Alfonso Ribeiro Movies

This comedy-drama stars Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and Tamera Mowry (Something to Sing About) as Darren and Lourdes, a newly-married couple struggling to sustain a small business. All hell breaks loose when their eccentric family members turn up and create a host of issues - which puts undue strain on the business and the marriage. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Hilary (Karyn Parsons) is a bundle of raw nerves as she prepares for the first national telecast of her TV talk show. Meanwhile, Will (Will Smith) arranges a date between Hilary and his friend Dr. Duane (Duane Martin). Somehow or other everyone's wires get crossed, the upshot being that Philip (James Avery) becomes convinced that Hilary is pregnant (it makes sense in context--honest!) This episode was directed by series regular Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Although the fourth season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was planned as the series' last year on the air, the producers managed to forge a new contract with ABC assuring that Will Smith (as teenager Will Smith) and his co-stars would be reporting to duty for season five. The basic "culture clash" premise with streetwise Philadelphia native Will Smith moving in with his wealthy relatives, the Banks family in Bel-Air, CA, was still in place, but a few changes were made for the series' fifth go-round. Gone are two holdovers from Will's Philadelphia days, his buddy Jazz (played by actor Smith's real-life musical partner Jeff Townes) and his off-and-on girlfriend Jackie (Tyra Banks); the latter character is more or less replaced by Will's new heartthrob Lisa (Nia Long), who almost -- but not quite -- marched down the matrimonial aisle with our hero at season's end. In another development, Will's cousin Ashley Banks (Tatyana M. Ali) launches a career as a singer with Will as her manager; and the baby of the Banks family, little Nicholas (Ross Bagley), turns five years old -- even though he had been "born" only a year and a half before! Highlights of season five include the ever-growing confidence of Will's prissy cousin Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) in the romance department; an effort by Carlton, Ashley, and their sister Hilary (Karyn Parsons) to sneak a peak at their father Philip's (James Avery) will; and a chilling episode in which Will is shot and wounded by a would-be robber. And, in keeping with the precedent established in season four, season five of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is top-heavy with guest stars. This year's celebrity roster includes the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Don Cornelius, Jay Leno, Pat Morita, Ken Griffey Jr., John Amos, Isaac Hayes, Robin Givens, and Sherman Hemsley...as George Jefferson! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The producers of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air weren't about to tinker with a successful format as the series entered its third season. Although West Philadelphia teenager Will Smith (played, of course, by Will Smith) has been living with his wealthy relatives in Bel-Air for three years now, he still hasn't lost his streetwise flippancy, though he does begin evincing signs of burgeoning maturity and responsibility. In the same fashion, Will's host, the Banks family, continues putting on airs and currying favor with the Bel-Air elite, though they generally get their heads out of the clouds and return to earth at the end of each episode. The most signifcant change from seasons past is the pregnancy of Will's Aunt Vivian, a plot development created to accommodate the real-life pregnancy of actress Janet Hubert-Whitten. By the end of season three, Vivian has given birth to a son named Nicholas -- whereupon she virtually disappears from view, reportedly because of creative differences between Janet Hubert-Whitten and Will Smith.
The actress left the show at the end of the year and would be replaced by Daphne Reed Maxwell for the 1994-1995 season. In this season's opener, Will returns from a summer visit to his mom in West Philly with a new haircut and flamboyant wardrobe that appalls his stuffy lawyer uncle Philip Banks (James Avery), leading to the first of several obligatory "Let's stop arguing and compromise" moments. Later highlights included Philip and Vivian's not-so-sentimental journey to their old neighborhood, which had been all but levelled during the L.A. riots; the matriculation of the Banks' youngest daughter Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali) into the newly co-ed Bel-Air Prep School; older daughter Hilary's (Karyn Parsons) new job as a TV weather girl; former Jeffersons star Sherman Hemsley's appearance as Judge Carl Robertson, against whom Philip Banks would enter into a bitterly fought political battle; another guest-star turn, this one by no less than Oprah Winfrey; and the ongoing romantic tribulations of Will's prissy, preppy cousin Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro). In one of the season's final episodes, Will gets the opportunity to perform at a comedy club -- where among the other participants is future sitcom leading man D.L. Hughley. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air enjoyed its highest-ever ratings during season three, ending up the 16th most watched program on network television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Whitley (Jasmine Guy) is determined to land the best possible job after graduation, but she may end up sabotaging her chances by aiming too high. Meanwhile, Ron (Darryl M. Bell) overprotects his sister Rachel (Senait Ashenafi), who is thinking of attending Hillman. And Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) is driven to distraction while serving as host to girl-crazy freshman Zach Duncan (played by future Fresh Prince of Bel-Air regular Alfonso Ribeiro), who behaves exactly as Dwayne did two years ago...remember? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

African American entertainer Will Smith graduated from rap-music stardom to TV sitcom superstardom in the long-running NBC series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Co-produced by Quincy Jones, the series starred the twentysomething Smith as streetwise West Philadelphia teenager Will Smith (they must have stayed up nights thinking of that character name!), whose mother sends him to the West Coast to live with rich relatives in the cloistered California community of Bel-Air (mom felt that things were getting too dangerous for Will in his own neighborhood). The breezy, jive-talking Will proved to be quite a contrast to his upper-class relations, but despite obvious cultural and attitudinal difference, everyone got along quite well. Among Will's fellow occupants in the Bel-Air mansion were his uncle Philip Banks (James Avery), a prosperous attorney; Philip's wife Vivian (played first by Janet Hubert-Whitten, then by Daphne Maxwell Reid), a likeable lady who could simultaneously puncture Philip's pompousness and curb Will's ghetto-bred capriciousness; the couple's prissy, preppy son Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), whose attempts to emulate Will's freewheeling behavior always landed him in hot water; Carlton's sisters, the spoiled and somewhat airheaded Hilary (Karyn Parsons) and the lovably sardonic Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali); and the Banks' haughty butler Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell), who generally got all the best "put-down" punchlines. During the series' third season, Aunt Vivian gave birth to another child named Nicky (who, through the miracle of TV sitcom scriptwriting, became five years old within two years [played by Ross Bagley]). And in season four, Will and Carlton matriculated from high school to the University of Los Angeles, moving out of the mansion and into the pool house (all of a few yards away!). Making recurring appearances were Will Smith's musical partner Jeff Townes (aka "Jazzy Jeff") as Will's onscreen pal Jazz; Tyra Banks as Will's girlfriend Jackie Ames, who also hailed from West Philly; and Will's later sweetheart Lisa (Nia Long). Debuting September 10, 1990, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air lasted six seasons, becoming the nation's 16th most popular series during season three. The series ended on September 9, 1996. In the final episode, the Banks moved out of the mansion, though Will fully intended to remain a permanent Bel-Air resident. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

At first glance, Mighty Pawns might not be the best title choice for a "self-start" drama, but in context, it is most appropriate. Terence Knox stars as white inner-city teacher Steve Grenowski an inner-city teacher, assigned to a classroom full of problem students. By appealing to his students' gambling instincts, Gernowski turns the kids onto chess. Soon the teacher's chess team, headed by Frank (Alfonso Ribero), has won the county's junior championship. A shot at a national title is compromised when one of Frank's less trustworthy pals lures him away to a few local "money matches". Paul Winfield and Rosalind Cash costar in this fact-based drama, first telecast February 14, 1987 on the PBS series Wonderworks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of Magnum, P.I.'s two-part Season Seven opener (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Magnum is still in Los Angeles, still trying to solve the murder of comedienne Marti Jensen with the help of sexy entertainment lawyer Cynthia Farrell (Dana Delaney). Along the way, Magnum and Cynthia have fallen in love--and thus are both in the crosshairs of the well-connected drug cartel which ordered the murder. And back in Hawaii, teenage murder witness Kenny (Alfonso Ribeiro) continues to elude Magnum's friends, who are trying to prevent him from becoming the next victim. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi