The Upshaws

The Upshaws
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Regina Y. Hicks Wanda Sykes
Starring	Mike Epps Kim Fields Diamond Lyons Khali Spraggins Wanda Sykes Journey Christine Jermelle Simon
Opening theme	"Solid" by Ashford & Simpson
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	38
Production
Executive producers	Regina Y. Hicks Wanda Sykes Page Hurwitz Mike Epps Niles Kirchner Annie Levine Jonathan Emerson
Running time	25–29 minutes
Production companies	Savannah Sweet Productions Push It Productions Naptown Productions
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	May 12, 2021 (2021-05-12) – present (present)

The Upshaws is an American television sitcom created by Regina Y. Hicks and Wanda Sykes. The series stars Sykes, Mike Epps, Kim Fields, Diamond Lyons, Khali Spraggins, Journey Christine, and Jermelle Simon. The series premiered on Netflix on May 12, 2021.^[1][2] In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, with the first part being released on June 29, 2022.^[3][4] The second part of the second season premiered on February 16, 2023.^[5][6] In October 2022, the series was renewed for a third season,^[5] which premiered on August 17, 2023.^[7] In December 2023, the series was renewed for a 10-episode fourth season, also called part 6. The six-episode fifth part of The Upshaws, the second half of season 3, premiered on April 18, 2024.^[8] In June 2024, the series was renewed for a 12-episode fifth and final season, also called part 7.^[9]

This comedy series follows an African-American working class family from Indiana, as they struggle to make ends meet as they pursue the American dream without a clear path to get there.

• Mike Epps as Bernard "Bennie" Upshaw Sr., patriarch of the Upshaw family, Regina's high-school sweetheart and eventual husband. He is the owner of Bennie's Garage.
• Kim Fields as Regina Upshaw (née Turner), the matriarch of the Upshaw family; Bennie Sr's wife and mother to Bernard Jr., Aaliyah, and Maya.
• Wanda Sykes as Lucretia Turner, Regina's older sister who has an antagonistic relationship with Bennie
• Diamond Lyons as Kelvin Upshaw, Bennie and Tasha's son who is the same age as Aaliyah, who calls Kelvin her "Ghetto Twin". He was conceived when Bennie thought he and Regina were on a break.
• Khali Spraggins as Aaliyah Upshaw, Bennie and Regina's eldest daughter
• Journey Christine as Maya Upshaw, Bennie and Regina's youngest daughter
• Jermelle Simon as Bernard "Bennie" Upshaw Jr., Bennie and Regina's eldest child and only son together. He has a strained relationship with his father, who wasn't there for him until he was 16.

• Gabrielle Dennis as Tasha Lewis, Kelvin's mother
• Page Kennedy as Duck, an old friend of Bennie's who also works at his garage. He is recently out of prison and has become a born-again Christian.
• Mike Estime as Tony, Bennie's friend and employee
• Dayna Dooley as Sheila, Regina's boss at the hospital
• Daria Johns as Savannah, Aaliyah's best friend
• Jessica Morris as Amy, Regina's friend
• Sharifa Oliver as Monique Robinson, Bernard's ex-girlfriend and mother of their daughter, Sydney. She is a police officer.
• Ayaammi Sledge as Sydney Robinson, Bernard's daughter. She comes looking for him in the First season finale and when she mentions Bernard Upshaw is her father, Regina accuses Bennie of being so until matters are cleared up.
• Dewayne Perkins as Hector, Bernard Jr.'s boyfriend
• Leonard Earl Howze as Davis, another of Bennie's friends

On August 20, 2019, Netflix gave production a series order. The Upshaws is created by Regina Y. Hicks and Wanda Sykes who are expected to executive produce alongside Mike Epps, Niles Kirchner, and Page Hurwitz. Push It Productions is the production company involved with producing the series.^[1] The series was released on May 12, 2021.^[2] On June 24, 2021, Netflix renewed the series for a 16-episode second season which is expected to be split into two parts.^[3] The first part of the second season was released on June 29, 2022.^[4] The second part of second season premiered on February 16, 2023.^[5][6] On October 26, 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a third season which was released on August 17, 2023.^[5][7] On December 1, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a fourth season.^[8] On June 7, 2024, Netflix renewed the series for a 12-episode fifth and final season, also called part 7.^[9]

The series is set in Indianapolis, but it is shot in the Old Warner Brothers Studio in California.^[10]

Upon series order announcement, Sykes and Epps were also cast to star.^[1] On March 4, 2020, Kim Fields joined the cast in a starring role.^[11] On December 2, 2020, Gabrielle Dennis, Page Kennedy, Diamond Lyons, Khali Daniya-Renee Spraggins, Jermelle Simon, and Journey Christine were cast in starring roles.^[12]

For the series, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 63% based on 8 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.^[13] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 57 out of 100 based on 5 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[14]

• The Upshaws on Netflix
• The Upshaws at IMDb