Interview: Talking To The Cast Of “Lopez vs Lopez” About Season Two

The sitcom has been a staple of television since its earliest days. Within the past decade, we’ve seen less and less multi-camera sitcoms taped in front of a live audience. What Lopez vs Lopez does so well is it brings us back to that era, feeling much like a throwback, while also feeling completely modern at the same time.

The show is also dripping in authenticity. That authenticity starts with George Lopez and his relationship with his onscreen daughter, Maya. That’s because his onscreen daughter is his real-life daughter, Mayan Lopez and they mined their relationship for comedy in the series. Now back for a second season, we go even deeper into how their relationship is evolving, and explore George’s sobriety. The show also boasts a stellar supporting cast, including Al Madrigal, Selenis Leyva, and more.

We recently spoke with George Lopez, Madrigal, and Leyva about the series returning, taping in front of a live audience, incorporating George’s sobriety into the story, and the Cheech and Chong cameo that aired last night.

Now obviously the network system has changed over the years. So I think it’s so important that in 2024 we still have a multi-cam sitcom with a live audience. What is important about having a live audience for you all?

George: For a period there, a lot of the shows were single camera. They don’t last. I think we go back to the format of multi-camera because it’s what we’ve grown up with, it’s what our favorite shows were about, and if you find one that can make you laugh and it’s something that you feel comfortable watching and it’s easy on your eyes, I think those are the shows that people remember a long time.

Al: Some of my favorite shows. Cheers, Taxi, News Radio. All these comedy legends that have done these multi-cams over the years. Being stand-ups, it just completely lends itself to multi-cams. Now that the show has aired on Netflix and it’s in its second season and rabid fans show up, people show up every week and they go bananas. We really feed off that. People go “Oh, the fake laughs.”

George: It’s always sold out. You can’t get a ticket to see the show live.

Al: Yeah, there’s nothing fake about it. Except George.

George: I’ve been around too long to be completely real. I have to have some part of me that’s fake.

I wanna ask with this season, the first episode shows George being five weeks sober. How much consideration do you take in mining such a personal subject to you for a storyline for the show?

George: I’ll tell you this. We have a joke at table reads. When something is a really hard joke about me, I’ll say “That doesn’t have to stay in.” But I’m an open book. I think the only way to convey those emotions and to get people around somebody who’s trying to get clean is for everyone around him to be honest. In favor and if you’re not going down the right road. But trying to get sober doesn’t mean you’re a better person. There’s people that are dry drunks that are almost just as bad as when they were drinking. 

And it shows people that are also struggling with sobriety a character that is going through the same things they are.

Selenis: That’s the writer’s room. We have an amazing writer’s room led by Debbie Wolf. And they’re really just bringing such amazing storylines and relevant storylines that people do relate to. 

George: And it’s been like that since the beginning. If you look at the first season, this one’s ten episodes because of the strike. But they’re ten great shows where every week is going to be an hour. And they go by so fast. They’re just 22 minute episodes. I think sitting there and watching an hour is going to feel like sitting there and watching one show.

Let’s talk guest stars this season. There’s so many great ones. Which standout as being your favorites? 

Al: We had Cheech and Chong, which was incredible. I can’t wait for people to see the ending of that Cheech and Chong episode. Then you have Marshawn Lynch, Jim Plunket, we have Vanderpump people, Lisa Rinna. 

George: Gabriel Iglesias. We started the season with Gabriel. Chihuahua lovers unite!

I gotta ask. What can you tell us about the Cheech and Chong reunion?

George: First of all, they play characters that don’t know each other. That’s fun. When they see each other for the first time.

Al: The two of us got to do our scenes with Chong, which was amazing. (Imitating Ching) “Hey man!!!”

Selenis: He’s so great! And the episode ends in such a wonderful way that I think is going to be so powerful.

Al: It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

George: When somebody gets older, you lose a little bit of your timing, a little bit of your place. As we started to go down the week, Tommy and Cheech both…

Selenis: They got better and better.

George: They got better, yeah.