'Lopez vs. Lopez' review: George and Maya Lopez in NBC swinging father-daughter comedy

NBC TITLE LOPE Here and Lopez refers to reality A generational conflict between a partially estranged father and daughter as a father and daughter in life George Lopez and Maya Lopez .

It could easily refer to the generational conflict in the TV comedy itself, not necessarily between the instincts of co-creators George and Maya (with Debbie Wolfe), but In “s/’s version of Radio sitcoms — with a focus on the obvious punch line, broadcast to the back row of the studio — and something more nuanced, in ’70s/Norman-Lear vein or nearest simulator such as The Carmichael Show or Day by Day .

pass Two episodes sent to critics, Maya kind of wins on the show—she’s Gen Z, so she’s the future, etc.—but the broader version of the sitcom is clearly controlled on a form and tone level. There’s enough fun topical elements to try to find a platform to signal some potential, but I’m more likely to check in mid-season or a hypothetical second season than to see which show is breaking out every week.

As Maya explains in one of several poorly integrated TikTok videos – she’s Gen Z so everything she does is essentially TikTok – she His father was never around. He gambles, cheats on her mother (Selenis Leyva) and other things. She has been in treatment for many years. He has faced some adversity recently. Now he’s renovating her kitchen and trying to reconnect while torturing her male husband Quinten (Matt Shivery) and spending quality time with grandson Chance (Brice Gonzalez). Rounding out the core ensemble is George’s Stoner friend Oscar, played by Al Madrigal.

Wolfe’s work includes One Day once and ABC’s Connors , so she knows the multi-shot rhythm of modern Lear tunes. You may spend 05 minutes making the most predictable The jokes may revolve around a theme; five minutes, distilling those jokes into something funnier; then the last five minutes acknowledging the seriousness of the plot premise, hopefully but not necessarily getting an extra laugh or two while teaching the character, Perhaps a very important lesson for the audience.

Even though it’s a format that tends to be clumsy, it’s a format I respect when Lope I’m in that mode with Lopez , the series is good if unremarkable. While we don’t see Maya engaging in any therapy other than her TikToks, background themes related to eradicating mental health, whether intergenerationally or specifically explored within the Latino community, are well-intentioned and executed properly. Being forced to take key beats seriously allowed George Lopez to temper his innate tendency to schtickiness in his career, and encouraged the less experienced Mayan Lopez to do the same. When Maya says, “Some people pass on wealth. We pass on trauma,” it’s a sentiment that resonates, even if the show lacks time or a desire to really unravel it. The serious element isn’t exactly good, but there’s a compelling poignancy between father and daughter.

Their actual consolation is much clearer in the manga scene, so sadly almost all the humorous Lopez in vs. Lopez is so predictable and appalling. Mainly a lot of Mayans are saying what the writer thinks “young people” would say (or Quinten is saying what young people or white people would say) and George somehow misunderstands that if you pause the TV after setting it will allow You forecast earnings every time. Like, you know one way young people use “triggers,” but if you’re older, you might think it’s related to guns? yawn. The show can’t decide whether to air it to George’s fans or Maya’s demographics, and sits limply in the middle.

The only thing that is clear is that whatever its target audience happens to be, Lopez to Lopez This has no confidence in all the audience. Take Maya’s early manifesto, “Why should I follow your social media advice? You thought ‘Instagram’ was a weed delivery service.” It’s not a good line, but… it’s what it is. Here, however, Maya first had to pronounce the social media platform “Insta GRAM”, and people never used pauses and emphasis when saying “Instagram” so that the audience could make the “gram” leap. George then had to proudly follow along with “Sometimes it is!” to prolong a limited laugh, or convince the audience that it was a punchline in the first place. It’s a writing and acting flaw, and it’s repeated from start to finish.

On a basic level, both leads are fine. Maya Lopez is actually a more comfortable actor than her father was when she first debuted, despite her efforts to sell some vulnerable parts. As far as George Lopez is concerned, the boredom he makes his characters seem well deserved, if rarely funny. My only real laugh in these two episodes came from the fairly reliable Madrigal, but this quirky fifth banana character – Maya calls Oscar “Leach & Chong” because he loves weed and he’s usually around And aimlessly – taking a step back after he crossed the line. Showtime Comedy and Drama I’m Dying Here felt like a real career turning point.

The reality is that even the Mayans said almost everything in . Lopez is “correct”, the show neutralizes it by lacking genuine interest in Mayan causes or social media behavior – and tacitly aware of Mayan Almost no one in the demo watched broadcast TV on Friday night. While the title may point to confrontation, and I can imagine a good show in the end somehow, “Audience” hasn’t stood out so far.