Cassandra Freeman On Art, Janet Hubert’s Influence, And The Final Season Of Peacock’s ‘Bel-Air’
After four seasons, Bel-Air is arriving at its final chapter. Peacock’s dramatic reimagining of the classic sitcom began as a bold experiment, with Morgan Cooper’s viral short turning into a […] The post Cassandra Freeman On Art, Janet Hubert’s Influence, And The Final Season Of Peacock’s ‘Bel-Air’ appeared first on Essence.
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By Okla Jones ·Updated November 26, 2025 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… After four seasons, Bel-Air is arriving at its final chapter. Peacock’s dramatic reimagining of the classic sitcom began as a bold experiment, with Morgan Cooper’s viral short turning into a full-scale exploration of Black life, ambition, and the complexities that live inside family dynamics. As the story deepened, the character of Vivian, played masterfully by Cassandra Freeman, emerged. She is the emotional center of the Banks family, a woman navigating legacy and selfhood in equal measure. As the series prepares for its swan song, Freeman’s rendering of Aunt Viv stands as one of the series’ high points: a portrait of a woman reclaiming her creative voice in real time.
Freeman feels unexpectedly energized by the show’s ending. “I’m so excited,” she says. The actress talks about these next eight episodes with joy, and feels at peace with the work she’s done with Bel-Air since its premiere in 2022. She thinks that the timing was perfect—“It’s almost like [Cooper] knew the end from the beginning,” she says. In a way, that mirrors Aunt Viv’s own evolution on the show: each season revealing a new layer, a new texture, a new >Love, Brooklyn, and her creative platform Creaticity is growing into a space designed to connect BIPOC creators with industry decision-makers. She’s also leaning toward comedy again, a genre she once explored through stand-up. Romantic comedies, a one-woman show, even new producing ventures—she’s ready to expand towards whatever her heart desires.
Still, closing the door on Bel-Air is meaningful. Freeman hopes the finale leaves audiences with a renewed sense of collective beauty. “I want people to be like, wow, we are so beautiful. We are so resilient,” she says. She remembers someone once writing to her: “To see your skin made me love my skin.” That, she says, is the note she wants to leave on.
“There’s something revolutionary about telling a story just about love, forgiveness, and family,” Freeman says. “They’re the Banks family, not because of how much money they have, but because of how much real love they have for each other.”
TOPICS: Bel-Air cassandra freeman PeacockThe post Cassandra Freeman On Art, Janet Hubert’s Influence, And The Final Season Of Peacock’s ‘Bel-Air’ appeared first on Essence.
