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A new season of Bel-Air is back after a little more than a year and is taking viewers along for summertime in LA -- with sights, sounds, vibes and relationship question marks. It won't be all fun and games.
The reimagining of the '90s hit show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a drama centered on young Will Smith's (Jabari Banks) fictionalized journey and the Banks family that touches on culture, community, love and ambition. School is on break in season 3, and while there will pool parties, romance, and new things for Will's first summer in Bel-Air, the show will also dive into gentrification happening in South LA.
Aunt Viv (Cassandra Freeman) and Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes) deal with some marital trouble, and Coco Jones' Hilary Banks experiences some turbulence in her love life too. Carlton (Olly Sholotan) and Ashley (Akira Akbar) will go through their own growing pains -- and self-discovery. This installment also welcomes Joseph Marcell, who played Geoffrey in the original sitcom. He plays a mysterious character who is seemingly connected to this Geoffrey's (played by Jimmy Akingbola) past.
Find out more about when to stream Bel-Air, and why a VPN could be a handy tool for your viewing experience.
Read more: 8 Peacock Shows to Try After Your 'Love Island USA' Binge
Release date for Bel-Air season 3
Bel-Air season 3 debuted on Peacock on Thursday, Aug. 15, with three episodes, with the remaining seven episodes airing each week on the same day. The streaming service is available as a standalone subscription or as part of the StreamSaver bundle if you're an Xfinity customer.
If you're a new Peacock customer, subscriptions cost $8 per month for Peacock Premium with ads and $14 a month for Peacock Premium Plus. Annual plans are $80 for Premium, while Premium Plus costs $140 a year. Existing subscribers will pay these new rates starting on Aug. 17.
How to watch Bel-Air from anywhere with a VPN
Maybe you're traveling abroad and want to stream the show while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to access the show from anywhere in the world. There are also other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming.
A VPN is the best way to encrypt your traffic to stop your internet service provider from throttling your speeds. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and log-ins when connecting to Wi-Fi networks. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that's passed our tests and meets our security standards.
You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN.
If you're looking for a secure and dependable VPN, check out our Editors' Choice: ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on multiple devices, and provides stable streams. It's normally $13 a month, but it currently costs less overall to go for a 12-month subscription, where each month shakes out to $8.32.
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our review of ExpressVPN.
Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation and choose a country where the series is streaming on a service like Peacock. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you're connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to watch the show on more than one device, you may need to configure each one to ensure you're signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open the app to stream.
If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services will restrict VPN access.