The Upshaws is a funny comedy sitcom about the daily lives of an African American family. Season 5 of the show is now streaming on Netflix.
The Upshaws Part 5 Review
Part 5 of The Upshaws lives up to the sitcom’s previous seasons with its funny situational comedy and relatable family-based plotlines. Although it’s still not particularly revolutionary, it fulfils its purpose as an easygoing and entertaining comfort show
The Good
- Funny acting and situational comedy
- Relatable family-oriented storylines
- Important subplot about black history
The Bad
- Lots of talk about money struggles means it might not offer enough escapism for some viewers
Sitcoms can often be cringeworthy with their jarring laugh tracks and questionable acting. Although The Upshaws has a bit of both, its funny humour and relatable family stories make up for that. The latest season, The Upshaws Part 5, also makes important points about history-teaching and race.
Without giving away too much of the plot, Part 5 of The Upshaws continues to follow an African American family and their daily highs and lows surrounding relationships, children, money, and work. Major new storylines involve the sister-in-law moving in, the teenage daughter getting a boyfriend, the eldest son opening a gym, and various grown-ups asking each other for money on dubious grounds(!).
As ever, Mike Epps, who plays the father Bennie, and Wanda Sykes, who plays his wife’s sister Lucretia, both steal the show. Sykes is completely at ease roasting the ‘man-child’ antics of her on-screen brother-in-law, while Epps brings laughs through his expressive face and near-slapstick movements and grins. Some of the remaining acting is questionable, however—but that’s forgivable as it’s not meant to be high art.
A standout segment of The Upshaws Part 5 relates to the young daughter, Maya, having to dress up as Rosa Parks for a school performance about black history. Maya’s mother and aunt are sceptical of the superficial lines she’s given to say, and they realise from talks with the teacher—and later at the performance—that there’s deliberate ‘erasure’ going on.
Lucretia thus takes it upon herself to stand on the school stage and tell the proper story of several historical black figures, amusingly borrowing the children’s costumes for each of her impassioned speeches. Given the real-life debates on black history-teaching and the partisan nature of some schools in the USA, a scene like this will resonate with many viewers’ lived experiences.
Where some viewers might not relate to the show—or might not want to relate to it—is in the continuous discussions about topics like money, borrowing, insurance, and bills. While it’s done in a funny way in the show, many people watch television series and movies as a means of escapism from these topics, not to be reminded about them.
The Upshaws family is also meant to be working-class, and it’s always jarring when working-class people are portrayed by actors who aren’t working-class anymore and long ago climbed the ladder. It would be great to see more working-class representation in The Upshaws’ cast, especially since this sector is under-represented in the acting sphere overall.
That being said, The Upshaws Part 5 makes for an easygoing and entertaining watch. Storylines involving meddling exes, teenagers getting into relationships, and inter-roasting among family members will resonate with many. And your own laughing at the situational comedy will be such that you won’t even notice the laugh track any more.
If you like the sound of The Upshaws, you might also want to check out Black-ish, Benidorm, Everybody Hates Chris, and Malcolm in the Middle.