The Upshaws part 3 review: More severe, more serious, just as funny

The Upshaws, Netflix's tribute to the golden age of sitcoms, returned with its third part, another eight-episode ride into the lives of the working-class Upshaw family.

As fascinating as the old sitcom format is, the show hasn't manage to become one of the top dogs in its genre since it came out in 2021. Anyhow, it did get stuck in the sweet, watchable, and enjoyable zone, resulting in multiple seasons that followed.

The latest season (or part, as the series calls it) picked up the scraps after the previous season's busy finale and added some great layers to it. The new season was quite different from the first two.

Not only did the comedy improve with more surprises and subtlety throughout the first five episodes of The Upshaws part 3, but it also started talking about some important subject matters, things that do and will continue to affect middle-class citizens and parents.

The Upshaws part 3 premiered on February 16, with eight episodes, all ranging from 25-30 minutes.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's views, which may be subjective in nature.

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The Upshaws part 3 review: More material, more nuance, a bit confused

If the first two seasons saw the more fun side of parenting -- constantly bickering kids, paternal struggles, and the difficulty in holding down the fort with a bare minimum income -- this season saw some more serious themes like depression, financial inconsistency, and the sublime sacrifices that people, especially parents, need to make throughout their lives.

The season kicked off with Bennie Sr. (Mike Epps) still in prison along with Lucretia (Wanda Sykes). The amply fun episode did not dive into anything too serious and used Bennie's lockup period as just another comic element.

Like every other season, this new one progressed with different storylines in each episode sewn together with a continuous narrative, but things soon turned to the grimmer side in this one.

Not only did this season continue to explore comedy in the banal every day, but it also started finding some laughable moments in the extraordinarily fragile human condition. This is one of the reasons why The Upshaws part 3 is arguably better than the previous two parts; comic timing was almost impeccable in this part, with many jokes being on the verge of dark comedy.

There were some very serious topics involved in this part of the show. It initially started with Regina's (played by Kim Fields) unsettled behavior around the family and Bennie, but soon evolved into something much more sinister. This came in the penultimate episode of the season, where she had a heart attack.

However, despite her quick and flawless recovery, there was something else wrong with her. This is when the show started delving into some important present-day topics, like mental health and the cost of sacrifices parents need to make.

While so many things were too relatable and serious to laugh about, the constant presence of characters like Tasha (Gabrielle Dennis) always gave a laugh break to viewers.

One of the things that did seem problematic about this season was its uneven tone. Though not as exciting or engaging as this one, the previous two seasons held on to their respective tones and lived by them.

This one seemed too engrossed in trying to make a statement while also trying to be slapstick funny, giving an uneven texture to the eight-episode series.

Anyhow, The Upshaws part 3 was a much-needed improvement over the previous two parts, and if it continues to deal with the story this way, it may soon leave behind the shortcomings.

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The Upshaws is now streaming on Netflix.