Third time’s a charm with the upcoming third season of The Upshaws. This Netflix comedy comes back to warm hearts, bring new antics, and share plenty of laughs, with the Upshaw family front and center again.
The series follows a working class Black family in Indianapolis, as they navigate everyday life and the ups and downs it brings. Leading the Upshaw family are Bennie (Mike Epps), well-intentioned, but a lifelong mess, mechanic and dad, and Regina (Kim Fields), the ambitious and focused mom. And watching (or causing) all of the chaos in the show are their kids, daughters Aaliyah and Maya (Khali Spraggins, Journey Christine), firstborn son Bennie Jr. (Jermelle Simon), and second son Kelvin (Diamond Lyons).
But family drama needs more family, so hairstylist Tasha (Gabrielle Dennis), mother of Kelvin, and Regina’s sardonic sister, Lucretia (Wanda Sykes), join in on the fun.
The Upshaws is an example of how blended families work, but also what working class Black families look like now. The series takes notes from classic Black sitcoms over the years, like Good Times, Family Matters, Martin, and My Wife & Kids, and puts its own flair onto the genre.
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Additionally, the series takes on identities not always seen positively on Black sitcoms, one of them being queerness. Eldest son Bennie Jr. has traversed through “coming out” later in life, being a single parent, and his first relationship with a man, played by gay comedian Dewayne Perkins, over the course of the show. But his familial support has been right there along the way, with poignant “coming out” storylines shared between him and his parents.
Created by Sykes and Regina Y. Hicks, both of whom are Black queer women, they ensure that queerness is displayed and celebrated in a working class Black family, but that it’s also a normalized part of all family dynamics. It’s refreshing to see on TV and hopefully we’ll witness much more of it when The Upshaws return next year.
Part 3 of The Upshaws premieres on Netflix on February 16, 2023.
