Did you know Don Cheadle had a 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' spin-off?

On October 8, 1990, over 22.7 million viewers settled in front of their televisions, tuned into NBC, and watched the fifth episode of the first season of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.'

Titled 'Homeboy, Sweet Homeboy,' the episode showcased a rising Hollywood star, Don Cheadle.

At that time, the actor was 26 years old and portrayed Ice Tray, one of Will Smith’s friends and Hilary's first love interest.

Even though it was only five episodes in, 'Fresh Prince' was already a massive phenomenon. Even so, no one expected Ice Tray’s character to captivate the audience the way that he did.

It’s worth noting that Don Cheadle would not reappear on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' He had only those 24 minutes of fame, but it was enough for NBC to contemplate giving him his own series.

Such was the impact of the character, that the episode aired on a Monday, and by Thursday, Don Cheadle was being offered a spin-off. Naturally, the young actor said yes.

Risky? Absolutely. But the character was incredibly likable. Don Cheadle fit the ‘90s perfect-son profile, and anything that the 'Fresh Prince' touched seemed destined for success.

Reality, ever so cruel, showed the world, NBC, and Don Cheadle that no matter how easy things seem, they never are.

The offer came, as Don Cheadle himself confirmed in an interview on 'People's Party With Talib Kweli,' and did land his very own series called 'In the House.' If it doesn’t ring a bell, you're not alone.

Image: 'In The House,' NBC

It seemed obvious that the series would star Ice Tray, and alongside Don Cheadle, there would be familiar faces like Bruce A. Young, Vivica A. Fox, and Troy Burgess.

Eventually, the pilot saw the light of day on July 10, 1991, almost a year after the show was proposed. The outcome was the worst possible - no further episodes were aired.

He said that he hadn't totally dropped the idea of doing music by then, so he tried to write the show's theme song. If you watch the pilot, you'll hear the song he wrote and sang, just like Will Smith. "Some folks they say, there's only one way to live your life," it begins.

Image: 'In The House,' NBC

"We shot a pilot," Don Cheadle shared in an interview with Vanity Fair. "I think you can actually find it online. It popped up and I was like, whoa." What remains a mystery is how that episode, an undiscovered gem, has made its way to YouTube with more than respectable quality.

Click here If you want to check it out.

To be honest, 'In the House' wasn’t worse than any other sitcom airing at that time. However, it was the pilot, and like all series, it needed some time to find its footing. But for whatever reason, NBC didn’t give it that chance.

The lone pilot allowed viewers to see good old Ice Tray return from university to his home in Philadelphia, claiming to have turned down many job offers so he could start his own business instead.

A father's anger, a couple of classic jokes, eventual family peace, and a weak but promising pilot. Many sitcoms have had worse first episodes and still managed to succeed. We won't name names.

Strangely enough, fate had a pleasant surprise in store for Don Cheadle - nothing less than another spin-off waiting for him: 'The Golden Palace.'

The series emerged from the success of 'The Golden Girls' and featured three of the stars from the original series, everyone but Bea Arthur. Don Cheadle would play Roland Wilson, the hotel manager and the guy who tried to bring sanity, or at least tried, to the series, where he remained for the 24 episodes that made up its only season.

From there, Don Cheadle's career has done nothing but soar, with films like 'Boogie Nights' (1997), 'Traffic' (2000), 'Hotel Rwanda' (2004), the 'Ocean's Eleven' series, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he's played James Rhodes.

In fact, Don Cheadle's carreer has been so close to perfect that he probably wouldn't want to go back in time and change a thing... especially in regards to having that pilot go through. Who knows where that would have led him!

He is also of the very few Black actors to have been nominated for the four major American entertainment awards (EGOT). He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in 'Hotel Rwanda,' and Golden Globes for roles in 'The Rat Pack (1999),' 'Hotel Rwanda,' 'House of Lies,' and 'Black Monday.' He won Grammys for a 2016 soundtrack about Miles Davis, and the 2022 award for Best Spoken Word Album. In 2022, he won the Tony for 'A Strange Loop.'

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