‘Lopez vs. Lopez’ even more meta in Season 2
Creator says series has been healing for actors, audience
Debby Wolfe hadn’t exactly planned to find the inspiration for a family sitcom while doom-scrolling TikTok. But in the wee hours one night, during the early stages of the COVID19 pandemic, another compulsive swipe up on her phone screen led to a video from Mayan Lopez, the daughter of comedian George Lopez. The younger Lopez — also a comedian who, for years, had been estranged from her father — was clearing up some rumors about her parents’ divorce — while twerking upside down.
“Mayan had inherited her father’s comedy chops — she knew what was funny about her struggles and her pain and was able to poke fun at it,” Wolfe says. Sure, OK. But if this was a scene from a mockumentary sitcom, the camera would zoom in on George, who is sitting next to Mayan and Wolfe, and is shaking his head like a proud but defeated father being reminded of his daughter’s rump-shaking.
This isn’t a Danny and D.J. Tanner-type family dynamic. But perhaps the father-daughter dysfunction in “Lopez vs. Lopez” may be more relatable and just as heartwarming and soothing.
Created by Wolfe and the Lopez duo, the meta family comedy stars George and Mayan as fictional versions of themselves as they attempt to mend their fractured relationship. Their characters share their names, but not occupations. Mayan works at a veterinarian’s office, and George has a moving company, but it goes bankrupt, prompting George to move in with Mayan.
It resembles what happened to their family in real life: When the pandemic hit, Mayan and her mother, Ann, George’s ex-wife who was also an executive producer on “George Lopez,” were worried about him — he is immunocompromised — so they came together during stay-at-home orders. And the healing began.
This interview with Mayan and George Lopez and Wolfe has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: In Latino culture, you don’t usually air dirty laundry about the family out in public. Mayan, what compelled you to do it? Mayan Lopez:
I’ve been in therapy since I was very, very young. I like to think of comedy as tragedy and time. And just enough time has passed. During the pandemic, it was such a horrible time for everyone and everyone just wanted to connect. We weren’t speaking very much at that time, but I was talking about my issues with my family and mental health and what having a father that wasn’t really present (was like), how that affected my identity and how I integrated that into my comedy, and also the reconciliation. I think what helped sell the show was the numbers behind some of the videos and their success. My dad is immunocompromised; my mom donated a kidney to my dad 17 years ago. During that time where people were going apart, we came together. I did a whole series of “Why do my divorced parents still act like they’re married?” The first one got 60 million views. Culturally, yeah, we don’t air that stuff out. But that’s part of some of the issues with our community is that the generational trauma and the machismo isn’t addressed. I see “Lopez vs. Lopez” as a show for everyone, but also a love letter to our community.
Q: George, as somebody
who has mined your own life for your comedy, could you understand why Mayan would do the same? George Lopez:
I understand completely. Talking about my life wasn’t going to be my process. In the early ’90s, before Tim Allen got “Home Improvement,” he had a special on Showtime. I saw him right before he was going to do the pilot; he did like an hour and 15 minutes — it was brilliant. All that was in the show was in his act. I remember standing in the back room thinking, “Man, I don’t think I have anything like that.” Over the next 10 years, Dave Becky (a comedian manager) told me at Carolines in the early ’90s: “Your act doesn’t really tell me anything about yourself.” I was trying to just be a comedian. Once I started to talk about my grandmother, Vicks, hot dog with a piece of sandwich bread wrapped around it — I mean all those kinds of
jokes are what you see in memes now.
Q: Was it a tough sell for you, the idea of doing a show with your daughter? GL:
I thought it was animation.
ML: He called me and was like, “Is this going to be an animated ‘Gilmore Girls’?” Because he was like, “There’s no way that they’re going to allow a real father and daughter to talk like that to each other.” That was something that was very interesting, because there’s no rule book. There’s nothing that could prepare me to have a scene partner who’s not only my father, but someone that’s caused me pain, and I’m playing a version of myself. It’s personal and it’s about finding the right amount of separation to try to protect yourself, but also play the character to the best of their ability. We’ve both been very brave with this, and I think
that’s also the comedic and the performer aspect that I’ve learned from him and seen growing up by seeing how he’s gone into his art. My dad will take the script, and he’ll rewrite it and it’s more personal to our reallife experience and some things that come out in that script I’ve never heard from him.
Wolfe: Mayan saying how, in the show, they say things to each other that they haven’t said to one another in real life — I think it’s very powerful. I think it’s been healing not only to them, personally, but also healing for the audience.
Q: If this started with the TikTok videos of you, Mayan, what has it been like for you, George, doing this show with her? GL:
I take responsibility, but also, I had a very difficult upbringing without a mother, without my father. In order to save yourself, you have to put a wall around your emotions — good and bad because I just don’t even know what would happen if I didn’t. ML: As me, and my character, I have been able to see my dad as a person. Even through therapy, yes, I see that he’s had this childhood and these things that have affected and changed who he is, and that’s helped us and now we get to enjoy one another and, with this show, we’re making up for lost time.
GL: If Mayan and Debby were men, this show would not be what it is. The success of this show is that it was created by women who are emotional and vulnerable and know how to make you feel this connection with issues around family that everybody goes through. It’s nothing unusual.
Q: Debby, what do you remember about those early conversations with them and deciding how to set this foundation for what the tone would be? W:
I actually talked to them separately. I wanted to get both sides of the story. They both had just such different perspectives. It’s generational. He had these old-school ideas and Mayan is modern, Gen Z-like. She’s very therapized and George is ... he’s kind of therapized. They’re still healing. They’re still growing. It makes sense to me that Mayan grew up on the set of the original “George Lopez” show, so it seems to make sense that they would heal on the set of a sitcom. It’s full circle.
Q: Debby, you’re in a unique position in that the stars of your show are living the life that is on the screen. When you’re around them, is it hard not to take notes as they’re interacting?
W:
I’m taking notes all the time. Sometimes they will get into it, and it can be awkward and Mayan will be like, “Write it down, Debby!” I’m just so blessed that they’re so open.