George Lopez & Daughter Mayan Lopez to Star in Comedy Series Together
George Lopez starred in the George Lopez show for six seasons through 2007 with new audiences having been introduced to it in syndication
Photo: Instagram/@mayanlopez
George Lopez starred in the George Lopez show for six seasons through 2007 with new audiences having been introduced to it in syndication. Now the 60-year-old actor is making a comeback to the small screen with his real-life daughter, Mayan Lopez in Lopez vs. Lopez, Deadline reported.The series will revolve around a working-class family about “dysfunction, reconnection and all the pain and joy in between.” Mayan was 11 when she made her acting debut on her dad’s eponymous sitcom and now the 25-year-old comedic actor and writer has moved up to headliner.
“THE LOPEZ’s are coming to NBC! I cannot put into words my excitement and gratitude for this upcoming adventure with my dad. I cannot thank @debbywolfe enough for creating this because now we get have fun and make something special! 5 year old Mayan is in awe that she gets to make people laugh with her daddy. Dreams do come true,” Mayan wrote in a caption on Instagram.
Salvadoran-American writer Debby Wolfe (co-executive producer of One Day at a Time) came up with the concept for the series and worked with the father-daughter duo to develop it. They’re also joining forces with Bruce Helford, who co-created George Lopez with the Mexican-American comedian. Since the cancelation of ODAAT there is no Latinx family sitcom — though The Brothers Garcia is coming back to TV — so this is a step toward more representation with one of the most prominent Latino comedians.
But the series isn’t the only one George has in the works. Once Upon a Time in Aztlan is about a Chicano family in the suburbs of Los Angeles that is coming to terms with falsehoods of the American Dream produced by Amazon Studios, Variety reported in December. Lopez will star in and executive produce the one-hour show along with show creator Javier Rodriguez with famed photographer and director Estevan Oriol, iconic LA-based artist Mister Cartoon, and Michael Connolly. Unlike Lopez vs. Lopez, the show is a drama marking the first time we’ll see George in a dramatic role on TV. He previously worked on the film, No Man’s Land, a drama that takes place on the border where he played a Texas ranger.
“As an actor and a comedian, you want people to think of you for serious roles as well as comedic ones,” he told Forbes earlier this year. “I think the history of comedians as actors and there have been some wonderful, funny people who have done drama, people like Billy Connolly, Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Jackie Gleason and so on. As George Lopez, I remember after my first show was over, I couldn’t do anything like this because they saw me as the funny guy from the TV show. I appreciate them feeling like that, but it is hard.”
Now it looks like he’s bringing both the drama and comedy to the screen and they’re both centered on Latinx stories so it’s a win-win for George and Latinx representation on TV. Currently there’s no premiere date for either series.
