Hit or Miss: The Upshaws

From one of the hottest companies in American television right now, Push It Productions presents The Upshaws. The new series on Netflix follows Mike Epps, Kim Fields, and Wanda Sykes starring as “A working-class Black family in Indiana striving for a better life and a happy home while struggling to make it work without any blueprints,” according to Netflix. Bennie Upshaw (Mike Epps), the head of the family, mechanic, and garage owner is trying his best to balance his life with his wife Regina (Kim Fields), who works at a local hospital, raising their three young children and Bennie’s older son (whom he had with another woman). Lucretia (Wanda Sykes), Regina’s older sister lives with them and who very much disapproves of Bennie and his goofy, yet annoyingly charming persona is a third of the trio and supports his garage as a silent partner despite her belief that Regina can do better. 

The show will cover the family’s ups and downs of working-class life in the Midwest, a topic that Black American sitcoms have shied away from since the ending of “Everybody Hates Chris'' in 2009. The creators very much seem to be focusing on this with Kim Fields and Mike Epps as the main leads known predominantly for their working-class roles in their most popular works, Epps in Next Friday, and Fields in Living Single. The production company is also co-owned by Sykes and Page Hurwitz, the former of which had her hand in every aspect of this show, including starring, executive producer, and co-showrunner, along with co-creating the show with Mike Epps. To say this is her brainchild is an understatement. With the success of her recent Netflix comedy special which was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, the success of other creators who work with Sykes such as Tiffany Haddish whose comedy special won the best comedy album Grammy for “Black Mitzvah'' combined with the success of her show “They Ready” also produced by Push It, Sykes has been creating a portion of Netflix’s successful black comedies and stand up specials, all of which are helmed by women. The upcoming series is also co-created by Regina Hicks, a long-time writer for many popular black comedies and executive produced by Epps, Hurwitz, Annie Levine, Marc Solakian, and Jonathan Emerson from Kevin Can Wait, Call Your Mother, and Sister, Sister.

The potential for success with The Upshaws is tremendous as Sykes has continually put out great shows, and with the success of her comedy specials and the amount of comedic experience, she brings to the table. Then adding in the credentials of both Mike Epps who is known for his role in Ice Cube’s Next Friday as Day-Day, along with starring in All About the Benjamins and Meet the Blacks. Fields are known for Living Single and Facts of Life, two highly rated, long-running comedies and incredibly popular, also appearing in Dancing with the Stars, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. With this trio, the platform has the closest thing to a certifiable hit for Netflix, as they have undoubtedly struggled with generating a successful sitcom especially one with a cast consisting of people of color, despite the popularity of a critically disfavored Fuller House, which ran for five seasons. Here you have no such expectations, but with Sykes’s proven track record of turning out hits, Netflix might have its first successful multi-camera comedy on the way. Additionally, In an interview with Andy Cohen last week on Watch What Happens Live! on Bravo, Gabrielle Dennis who plays Tasha, Bennie’s former “baby mama,” expressed her admiration for Kim Fields and how big of a fan she is, “Like, The Living Single? Like, hello. You know, Tootie, her resume is long." She goes on to say more of Fields,'’ But also the fact that she's just this down-to-earth, really sweet, really giving actress. And she's really funny, like, I mean I know she's funny...but seeing her work in person was just, it was just an awesome treat," If Dennis’s remarks are any indication of the cast and serious comedic chops they present, a great show will be on the way. Either way, it is exciting that legends of the industry are coming together to tell a working-class story, one that may resonate and do better to tell stories in a time that greatly affects more working-class families such as the Upshaw’s. The show received a full-season order just months before the COVID-19 Pandemic. The first season will consist of 10 half-hour episodes and will premiere on May 12th, 2021 on Netflix.