GEORGE LOPEZ

The TV sitcom staple, talk show host and awardwinning comedian, 61, returns to broadcast television with his new working-class family comedy, Lopez vs. Lopez (Nov. 4 on NBC). The show couldn’t be more aptly named: It also stars Lopez’s real-life daughter, Mayan, 26, and is based on her social-media postings about her dad.

Your stand-up comedy examines race, ethnic relations and Mexican American culture. Is that the idea behind Lopez vs. Lopez too? No. This show wasn’t created by me, it was created by [writer-producer] Debby Wolfe from seeing Mayan’s TikToks about our strained relationship. Based on our awkwardness, also on my divorce, Mayan and I didn’t speak for . . . it might be three years.

Have you always known that Mayan is funny? I knew when Mayan was maybe 12 or so that her wit was on the level of mine or [her mother] Ann’s, who’s also very funny. I remember telling her that sometimes the first thing that pops into your head can be very funny, but I’d be concerned with where you say it. Control your instincts to be funny, because it might be more hurtful to somebody than a normal comment would be.

“The Lopez Way” is talked about in the pilot. What is that?

Boundaries. When somebody comes over to your house, if somebody went into my refrigerator, that would be [breaking] boundaries. Or noise boundaries. Or one time I let a guy stay with me as a guest in my house and he made a duplicate copy of my key. So he had to go. Personal space is a thing.

What would you like to see as your legacy?

There are a lot of fathers who are estranged, and mothers and families who are estranged from their brothers and sisters, and people that don’t talk. I would like my legacy to be that I presented an opportunity for people to close divisions that they have. Or to reimagine what it would be like to have a relationship with someone where you thought all hope was lost.