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Dewayne Perkins reflects on ‘The Upshaws” final season: ‘It’s been a beautiful journey’

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Key art for final season of ‘The Upshaws’ (Courtesy of Netflix)

Season 5 (also billed as Part 7) of The Upshaws premieres on Netflix Wednesday, giving fans one final set of stories from the titular family. Dewayne Perkins, who plays their neighbor Hector, a recurring character on the series, spoke to ABC Audio about the show coming to an end.

“It’s sad because I really enjoyed it, but it’s been a beautiful journey. A lot of shows don’t last for that long, especially now in the way that the industry is functioning. So to get five seasons I think is a great feat. And I grew up watching multi-cams, I feel like multi-cams are a big reason why I am doing what I’m doing.“

Dewayne also expressed pride in being part of a show that made space for gay stories.

“To be a part of that feels historic,” he says. “To be able to present gay stories in a Black sitcom … is really cool and something that I’m very proud to be a part of.”

He added that he’s thankful to have worked alongside some industry veterans. “Being able to work with legends like Wanda [Sykes], Mike [Epps], like Kim [Fields], it’s just, it was pretty fantastic,” he says. “So I’m just grateful to have been a part it.”