Despite portraying himself as a charismatic, self-confident playboy, Will Smith has said that he was a shy, awkward teen who was very insecure about approaching and dating girls.
Alfonso Ribeiro invented the Carlton dance. When he first read the script, it said "Carlton Dances", with nothing specific. He later stated in an interview that the Carlton dance was inspired by Eddie Murphy's white boy dance and Courteney Cox dancing in Bruce Springsteen: Dancing in the Dark (1984).
NBC canceled the show after Season 4, with The Philadelphia Story (1994) as the series finale. Fan reaction and letters to Will Smith and NBC persuaded them to renew the show. It ran for two more seasons and ended when Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey the Butler) said he intended to quit his role and return to the UK, prompting the rest of the cast to quit their roles and end the series.
The character "Philip Banks" was ranked #34 in "TV Guide"'s list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (6/20/04 issue).
The third-, fourth- and fifth-season finales were written to be a respectable farewell in case the show wasn't renewed. The sixth-season finale was written with the full knowledge the show would not continue.