LOS ANGELES — Rarely are “daddy issues” quite this funny. But when your dad is comedian George Lopez, there’s plenty of material to work with.
“Majority of it is really from our real lives,” said Mayan Lopez.
Lopez and her famous father had a falling out after her parents divorced a decade ago. Then, the Second City alum made a funny video about her family drama and it got thousands of views on social media. What followed was “Lopez vs. Lopez,” which debuted last season as the first-ever network sitcom based on a TikTok video.
“A sitcom doesn’t solve everything. We’re still a father and daughter. We have our things. We still butt heads,” said Lopez. “But I think we are really making up for lost time.”
The end of season one mirrored reality as “TV Mayan” confronted “TV George” about his out-of-control drinking.
“What I think makes ‘Lopez vs. Lopez’ so special is that there is authenticity and there is heart," Lopez said. "And, every take, my dad would change what he was saying in his speech to the family during this intervention. And really some of the reactions, fans are like, ‘Are you really crying?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I was.’”
But the Lopez family brings more laughter than tears.
“We’re able to find the funny now,” she said.
Season Two brings the next phase of their relationship to the screen, as George embarks on a life of sobriety. And as an added bonus, friend-of-George and former Seahawk, Marshawn Lynch, will be making a very funny guest appearance.
“He was so lovely to work with. Hilarious. If you haven’t seen other work, he was able to improvise. I’m really excited for people to see him in this episode,” Lopez said, and suppressed a giggle, “I’ve been thinking back about it.”
Mayan Lopez says she and her dad have plenty more material to take from real life to real laughs.
“I’m gonna keep telling the truth and I hope people are able to laugh along with us,” Lopez said.
"Lopez vs. Lopez" airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on KING 5.