The Upshaws: Part 3 takeaway - How is the new season different from the previous ones?

After two seasons of illustrious comedy in the style of vintage sitcoms, The Upshaws returned with an all-new season on February 16, 2023. It brings back the familiar faces of Bennie Sr. (Mike Epps), his wife Regina (Kim Fields), and their children, Bernard Jr. (Jermelle Simon), Aaliyah (Khali Spraggins), and Maya (Journey Christine).

The season was also eight episodes long and focused on similar themes but deviated significantly from the previous seasons.

The new season followed up on the massive crisis from the season two finale, which saw Bennie and Lucretia (Wanda Sykes) end up in prison. The season picked up right off the bat and continued vowing with some intense drama, some of which was quite shocking and unlaughable.

This leads us to the observation that the third part of The Upshaws was quite different from the previous two seasons in more than one way.

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The Upshaws season three vs The Upshaws seasons one and two

Fans who have seen all three seasons of the show have noticed several differences between the seasons. However, here are three of the major differences between the first two seasons of The Upshaws and the latest one.

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1) Basic sitcom comedy vs realistic subtle humor

One of the more shocking things in the new season was the subtlety of the humor. The Netflix show was previously criticized for its straightforward approach and lack of creativity. However, the new season seems to have addressed the biggest issue by making the comedy much more subtle and much more grounded in reality.

This led to some interesting comical moments, with more focus on surprise comedy and clever lines instead of on-the-face punchlines.

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2) A light-hearted approach to parenting vs serious class commentary

Perhaps the most significant difference in the new season of the show was its ability to relate comedy to class commentary, something that sitcoms usually avoid. This season saw multiple instances of serious issues, ranging from mental health to middle-class survival in the face of financial disparity.

This was quite unlike the previous seasons, which were more driven towards Bennie's attempts at integrating the family and dealing with his illegitimate child. The third season was much more focused on Bennie and Regina, with a central focus on Regina's mental health and parental sacrifices.

This season also came out with moments that were not so funny but seriously thought-provoking, which was also quite a welcome deviation.

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3) Thematic evenness vs lack of direction

One of the things that the previous two seasons did better was maintaining evenness in the plot and theme. With a focus on classic sitcom-style comedy, the first two seasons of The Upshaws were more linear thematically. Though the third season added a lot of new things, it lost this even pacing and thematic continuity, leading to a much more confusing season.

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More about The Upshaws

Created by Regina Y. Hicks and Wanda Sykes, this American sitcom follows the fictional Upshaw family and their struggles with day-to-day affairs. Their modern-generation integrated family has been the focus of the series from the very start, with Bennie's illegitimate child, Kelvin (Diamond Lyons), a central focus of the first two seasons.

The synopsis for the series reads:

"In Indiana, a working-class African American family struggles to make it work and make it right without the blueprints to do it."

As mentioned earlier, the series stars Mike Epps, Kim Fields, Page Kennedy, Diamond Lyons, Khali Spraggins, Jermelle Simon, Gabrielle Dennis, and Journey Christine, among others.

The Upshaws is now streaming on Netflix.