History Series / TheUpshaws

* AffairBlameTheBastard: There is a tense relationship between Regina and Kelvin, her husband's son with another woman, conceived under "we were on a break" circumstances. Intellectually speaking she's trying to avert the trope -- she knows it's not Kelvin's fault -- but emotionally speaking the situation is still fraught.

The show is characterized by a duality of of cheesy sitcom jokes with a LaughTrack, and some brutally realistic characters and themes.

[[BrattyTeenageDaughter Aaliyah]], Bernard, Maya, Kelvin]]

* MaidenAunt: Regina got pregnant when she was in high school and her Lucretia was in college. Lucretia dropped out of school and broke up with her world-traveling boyfriend Frank to take care of her sister and nephew. After that, while Lucretia dated, it was never seriously. She never married or had children of her own, and instead devoted herself to being Regina's safety net and helping raise Bernard.
-->'''Frank:''' Last I knew, you put your life on hold to take care of your sister's kid.

* MaidenAunt: Regina got pregnant when she was in high school and her Lucretia was in college. Lucretia dropped out of school to take care of her sister and nephew. She broke up with her boyfriend, Frank, because he wanted to travel the world which was incompatible with these responsibilities. After that, while Lucretia dated, it was never seriously. She never married or had children of her own, and instead devoted herself to being Regina's safety net and helping raise Bernard.

* MaidenAunt: Regina got pregnant when she was in high school and her Lucretia was in college. Lucretia dropped out of school to take care of her sister. While Lucretia dated, she never married or had children of her own, and instead devoted herself to being Regina's safety net and helping raise Bernard.

* BaitAndSwitch: Season 1 ends with a little girl arriving at the house looking for [[spoiler:her father, Bernard Shaw]]. This turns out to be [[spoiler:Bernard Jr, conceived via his LastHetRomance]].

* TransparentCloset: Zigzagged with Bernard. Some people are somehow innately aware he's gay, while others are oblivious to the fact. Lucretia says she'd known since Bernard was a young flamboyant kid. Kelvin says he and Tasha are very aware because Tasha (a stylist by trade) can tell Bernard has well tended eyebrows. By the time Bernard gets around to telling Regina, she's already knows because she spotted him out on a date with a man, and the conversation takes the shape of ''her'' telling ''him''.

-->'''Regina:''' What we did [having Bernard] changed everybody's lives. What I did changed everybody's lives, and I see it like that. What I did. I slipped up, and I was never gonna let that happen again. So I did what I've been doing for 30 damn years. I take control, and I push, and I push. Had to get you set up. Had to get me set up. Had to finish school 'cause that's how you get a job. Had to go back to school 'cause that's how you get a better job. Finish raising the baby and then have two more. And then adjust to a third. And make peace... with the third. Can't slow down. Don't slow down.

* BumblingDad: Bennie is a layabout car mechanic and a {{Manchild}} who never grew up, in a frustrating but realistic way. Played with, in that show is tonally ambiguous about him. The family lives under the constant threat of Bennie's backsliding. Sometimes it really does frame him like a deadweight they should cut out, and other times that is walked back. The show also shines a light on Regina's contribution to this dynamic as an AnticsEnablingWife. She has taken him back, time and time again, after ''numerous'' rounds of his bullshit. Since Bennie can depend--accurately--on her eventual forgiveness, he has little reason to change.

* AnticsEnablingWife: Alongside Benny's BumblingDad, Regina's role as the long-suffering wife is also played with. She ''is'' definitely the more stable, responsible parent, who holds their household together, but she's no saint. The show is very blunt about how Regina is a major player in creating the difficult situations she finds herself in. Regina is not trapped in this marriage -- Lucretia would love to help her leave, and the relationship itself is a somewhat rocky one. There's blame aplenty for Bennie for being a poor husband and father, but there's also blame for Regina, who keeps ''keeps taking Bennie back'', after ''numerous'' rounds of his bullshit, even though she knows damn well what he is. She's made her own bed here.

* BumblingDad: Bennie is a layabout car mechanic and a {{Manchild}} who never grew up, in a frustrating but realistic way. Played with, in that show is tonally ambiguous about him. The family lives under the constant threat of Bennie's backsliding. Sometimes it really does frame him like a deadweight they should cut out, and other times that is walked back.

* TransparentCloset: Zigzagged with Bernard. Some people are somehow innately aware he's gay, while others are oblivious to the fact. Lucretia says she'd known since Bernard was a young flamboyant kid. Kelvin says he and Tasha are very aware because Tasha (a stylist by trade) can tell Bernard has done-up eyebrows. By the time Bernard gets around to telling Regina, she's already knows because she spotted him out on a date with a man, and the conversation takes the shape of ''her'' telling ''him''.

''The Upshaws'' is a Netflix DomCom about the Upshaws, a working-class black DysfunctionalFamily in Indianapolis.

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* BumblingDad: Bennie is a layabout car mechanic in a frustrating by realistic way. Played with, in that show is tonally ambiguous about him. The family lives under the constant threat of Bennie's backsliding. Sometimes it really does frame him like a deadweight they should cut out, and other times that is walked back.