Fresh Prince Supplants Harry Potter as Most Popular Entertainment at Guantánamo

We'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, let us tell you how 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' became the favorite show at a detention camp called Gitmo.

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When the prisoners at Guantánamo Bay find some extra time for chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool, they turn to old episodes of the hit ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The show has become so popular among prisoners that it has officially supplanted the Harry Potter books as the favorite entertainment Gitmo has to offer, the Miami Herald reports.

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Following the surge in the show’s popularity, the Defense Department contractor in charge of the prison’s book and video library ordered all six seasons, he told the Miami Herald. As for Harry Potter, detainees are “over that,” he said. J.K. Rowling’s books now remain shelved among the Gitmo library’s 28,000 other items, as prisoners instead flock to the 90s-era antics of Will Smith as he gallivants through affluent southern California. Turns out the appeal of Mr. Smith and his brightly colored windbreakers continues to stand the test of time, even among those who’ve spent 11 years as extrajudicial detainees.

(PHOTOS: Inside Guantánamo)

The librarian pointed out that all materials have seen lower rates of circulation during the month of Ramadan, as prisoners have dedicated more time to prayer and communal gatherings. But demand for Harry Potter had slowed before the holy month began, he said. The majority of prisoners live in groups of 20 or so in cells equipped with communal flat-screen TVs. Maximum security captives can watch the show alone, for about an hour or two each day, the Miami Herald reports.

Other popular materials from Gitmo’s library have included several English language dictionaries and Barack Obama’s 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope.

PHOTOS: Potraits of Guantánamo Detainees