Comedian George Lopez starred in his own self-titled ABC sitcom, which ran for 6 seasons from 2002 to 2007. What most TV viewers didn’t see back then was his real-life daughter, who practically grew up on that soundstage. “I was a kid AD [Assistant Director] on set, and I used to have a little headset,” Mayan Lopez reminisced during a TCA press conference for the new show Lopez vs. Lopez, premiering Friday, November 4th at 8/7c on NBC. Her first job may have been behind the camera, but she’s ready to make her mark on screen alongside her father. “It's surreal that I've watched my dad do this and now I get to have the honor and privilege of playing alongside him in something that's so personal to us and our family. It's the dream of a lifetime.”
LOPEZ VS. LOPEZ — Season: Pilot — Pictured: (l-r) Matt Shively as Quinten, Mayan Lopez as Maya, George Lopez as George, Selenis Leyva as Rosie — (Chris Haston/NBC)
But things weren’t always so picturesque for the father and daughter, who spent three years estranged. “This is the one relationship that is the most valuable thing to me in my entire life,” revealed George Lopez about his mended relationship with his daughter. The two reunited during the pandemic, which was a period of self-reflection for the comedian. “It was very difficult to be able to have to look at yourself and your flawed self and be honest with yourself and know that whether it worked out or not, I was going to do something that was entirely new to me and was going to take me on a very painful journey to look at myself. But much like life, laughter is the best medicine.”
Although Mayan Lopez was studying comedy, she wasn’t thinking about a sitcom when she began posting TikTok videos of her with her father. “I like to say the only way these two were going to heal their relationship was on the set of their own NBC sitcom,” shared showrunner Debby Wolfe, who got the idea for Lopez vs. Lopez when she saw some of Mayan’s videos. “I think the story is universal while also speaking with specificity to the Latinx community. We put so much work into the details, like the language, the costumes, the jokes. It's been at the top of my mind really from the beginning that this look and feel and sound familiar to Latinx viewers, because we do rarely get to see ourselves on screen.”
Among the characters added to the story is Maya’s mother Rosie, a character inspired by Debby Wolfe’s mother. “I approached this role just like I do any other role,” actress Selenis Leyva said of her character. “With George and Mayan, although they are playing themselves, I think they're playing a part of themselves. I want the audience to really know that they're not showing up and opening their mouths and just being George and Mayan. They are actors, and they are delivering really complex situations. Their job is a lot harder than mine, I think, because it's like they come in and there is a part of themselves that is very much real, but then there is that fictional side. And I'm doing the same thing. Yes, there is a little bit of someone else in there, a little bit of maybe Ann Lopez going on. But I would love to just make my own path to tell the story.”
(Casey Durkin/NBC)
The real-life father/daughter relationship of George and Mayan has been a treat for the whole cast to witness. “When I'm in a scene and I'm watching Mayan and George say ‘I love you’ or the pat on the back, whatever it is, it's just so genuine that I just can't believe I'm lucky enough to be a part of this,” shared Al Madrigal, who plays Oscar. “To look at two people that have a deep, deep love for each other as a father and daughter and thinking about my own daughter and just how cool this is, it's pretty special what we have here. And I know you probably have a lot of actors saying the exact same thing. But I think we all recognize that we're part of something pretty cool and unique in this relationship.”
Representing the only non-Latinx lead on the show is Matt Shively, who has finally reached an age in his career where he can play adults. “Up until four months, I was always playing a teenager, which is far from my actual age,” the 32-year-old The Real O’Neals actor shared. “Quinten is quite a stretch for me being a TV dad now, which is something I'm consistently joking with Mayan about. But it's a totally new world for me… I'm usually playing just the funny guy rather than being the empath and stable person for somebody else in a relationship… I started in multi-cam 13 years ago, and I think I was too young to really enjoy it and understand how great of a job it is and I think I took it for granted. So when this started, even from the first time we did a live audience taping, I took everything in. And to be working with a legend in George Lopez and to be working with a legend in the making of Mayan, and Selenis, she's absolutely incredible. These people are some of the best actors I have ever worked with. At the end of the day, I wake up every morning and truly thank my lucky stars that I'm even here and that I'm able to come to work every day with these people, because it's the greatest job in the world.”
“I like to think of comedy as pain and time,” reflected Mayan Lopez about turning a tough part of life with her father into a relatable comedy. “There's enough time that's passed that we're able to create laughter and create beautiful stories. The hope is that people will watch the relationship with Mayan and George or Mayan and Quinten or Mayan and Rosie and George, and be able to see their own families and be able to start conversations.” The process, as Debby Wolfe predicted, has also been beneficial for the real-life father/daughter relationship. “‘Mayan’ is teaching me things that I'm actually gaining more confidence in my relationship with my dad,” Mayan Lopez said of playing her on-screen counterpart. “Now we're coworkers. For the sake of our relationship, there has to be some emotional separation, but the bond and the love shows very clearly on screen, not just with my dad, but with the entire cast of Lopez vs. Lopez. It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing.”
Lopez vs. Lopez premieres Friday, November 4th, at 8/7c on NBC and will be available to stream the following day on Peacock. The original George Lopez show is also streaming on Peacock.