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.
In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, with the first part being released on June 29, 2022. The second part of the second season premiered on February 16, 2023. In October 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on August 17, 2023. In December 2023, the series was renewed for a 10-episode fourth season. In June 2024, the series was renewed for a 12-episode fifth and final season, which was released on January 15, 2026.
Contents
Premise
This comedy series follows an African-American working-class family from Indiana, struggling to make ends meet as they pursue the American dream without a clear path to get there.
Cast and characters
Main
Mike Epps as Bernard "Bennie" Upshaw Sr., patriarch of the Upshaw family, Regina's high-school sweetheart and eventual husband. He is an auto mechanic and the owner of Bennie's Garage.
Wanda Sykes as Lucretia Turner, Regina's rich older sister, who has an antagonistic relationship with Bennie. Lucretia is now married to Frank. She travels back and forth between Indiana and Georgia.
Kim Fields as Regina Upshaw (née Turner), the matriarch of the Upshaw family; Bennie Sr's wife; mother of Bernard Jr., Aaliyah, and Maya, and stepmother of Kelvin. She works as a healthcare manager.
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 older daughter
Journey Christine as Maya Upshaw, Bennie and Regina's younger daughter
Jermelle Simon as Bernard Upshaw Jr., Bennie and Regina's firstborn, and their only son together. He has a strained relationship with his father, who wasn't there for him until he was 16.
Recurring
Gabrielle Dennis as Tasha (seasons 1–4; guest, season 5), Kelvin's mother
Page Kennedy as Duck (seasons 1–2; guest, season 3), 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 Estimé as Tony, Bennie's friend and employee
Leonard Earl Howze as Davis, another of Bennie's friends
Dayna Dooley as Sheila (season 2; guest, seasons 1, 3–5), Regina's boss at the hospital
Daria Johns as Savannah, Aaliyah's best friend (seasons 2, 5; guest, seasons 1, 3–4)
Lamont Thompson as Frank, Lucretia's husband (seasons 2, 4–5; guest season 3)
Sharifa Oliver as Monique Robinson, Bernard's ex-girlfriend, mother of their daughter Sydney. She is a police officer.
Ayaammi Sledge as Sydney Robinson (season 2; guest, seasons 1, 3–5), Bernard's daughter by Monique
Jessica Morris as Amy, Regina's friend
Dewayne Perkins as Hector (season 2; guest, seasons 1, 3–5), Bernard Jr.'s on-again/off-again boyfriend
Guest
Kym Whitley as Althea Turner (seasons 2–5), Regina and Lucretia's sister
Marsha Warfield as Glodine Upshaw (seasons 3–5), Bennie’s mother
Episodes
Production
Development
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. The series was released on May 12, 2021. On June 24, 2021, Netflix renewed the series for a 16-episode second season. The first part of the second season was released on June 29, 2022. The second part of was released on February 16, 2023. On October 26, 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a third season which was released on August 17, 2023. On December 1, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a fourth season. On June 7, 2024, Netflix renewed the series for a 12-episode fifth and final season.
The series is set in Indianapolis, but it is shot in the Old Warner Brothers Studio in California.
Casting
Upon series order announcement, Sykes and Epps were also cast to star. On March 4, 2020, Kim Fields joined the cast in a starring role. On December 2, 2020, Gabrielle Dennis, Page Kennedy, Diamond Lyons, Khali Daniya-Renee Spraggins, Jermelle Simon, and Journey Christine were cast in starring roles.
Reception
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. Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 57 out of 100 based on 5 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".