While The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air was hardly known for its sobering drama, the show’s most poignant episode did manage to offer star Will Smith an early showcase for his potential as a dramatic actor. Airing on NBC from 1990 until 1996, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air was a huge hit that lasted for 148 episodes. While the show’s ensemble cast included stars like James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, and Tatyana M. Ali, there was no doubt about whom the show’s true star was.

Will Smith played a heavily fictionalized version of himself in the series, a street-smart Philadelphia native who is uprooted to the upper-class haven of Bel-Air after running into trouble in his hometown. One of the best American sitcoms ever, the show used this basic fish-out-of-water setup to contrast the antics of Will’s wealthy extended family with his own humble upbringing. What made the show such a success was its ability to affectionately mock both the pretensions of LA sophisticates and Will’s own unique and funny foibles.

However, while The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air was a hilarious portrait of familial dysfunction, the show was not incapable of handling heavier themes. As evidenced by its reboot Bel-Air, which was a straight-up drama, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air touched on real-life issues like income inequality, gun crime, drug use, addiction, poverty, and parental neglect throughout its run. Like its ‘90s family sitcom competitor Roseanne, the show was often at its best when addressing these thorny issues.

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’s Most Moving Episode Changed Will Smith’s Entire Character

Perhaps the best encapsulation of the show’s skillful handling of serious themes comes in season 4, episode 24, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse,” wherein Will happens upon his estranged father while out and about in Bel-Air. Although Will is used to his father repeatedly letting him down, he is still excited when Lou, seemingly a changed man, makes plans for the pair to take a cross-country road trip.

When Will’s father inevitably flakes on these plans, this leads to a furious dressing down from Uncle Phil. Will’s father leaves as Will puts on a brave face, only for a tearful Will to then ask Uncle Phil why he has never been enough to earn his father’s love. It’s a scene so unexpectedly heartbreaking that it even spawned an urban myth as viewers claimed the show’s star was crying due to real-life parental abandonment.

“Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse” Proves The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Was An Early Showcase For Will Smith’s Acting Talent

Image via NBC

While Smith had, by all available accounts, a consistent if troubled relationship with his real-life father, the popularity of this widespread claim is a testament to just how powerful the star’s acting is in this episode. At a time when the best episodes of The Simpsons were making sitcoms zanier, stranger, and more offbeat and surreal, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’s best episode proved that an injection of unexpectedly tragic character drama could truly elevate an otherwise light-hearted family show.

It would not be long before Smith’s roles in Six Degrees of Separation and Ali saw him establish himself as a serious Hollywood actor, with the star shedding his goofy, campy screen persona from The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air as he sought awards recognition in the years that followed. However, in retrospect, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse” telegraphed the signature blend of brooding intensity and heartbreaking vulnerability that Smith would bring to dramatic roles throughout the rest of his career.

From King Richard to Ali, Smith’s most acclaimed movie roles might seem to have little in common with the flouncy, rubber-limbed goofball at the center of this iconic ‘90s sitcom. However, in his tearful breakdown over his father’s absence, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’s title character proved Smith had star power to spare beneath his cheery exterior and his zany sitcom antics.