Mayan Lopez likes to say that the second season of the NBC TV comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez” is “still putting the fun in dysfunction.”
She co-stars in the series with her real-life famous father, stand-up comedian and actor George Lopez. And they sometimes turn difficult father-daughter moments that happened off-camera into authentic TV comedy.
“Working together, I’d like to think that we’re really making up for lost time,” Lopez said in a video interview with NBC News. “I used to not be as open with my dad because he did leave and not talk to me for a very long time. But really, my character Mayan, being as direct with George as she is, actually helped me gain that strength to do that in real life.”
The TV show takes a semi-autobiographical approach to tackle complex family issues and relationships. And this season, viewers will see George struggling to maintain his sobriety, while challenging his family to re-evaluate their own behavior.
Lopez said her character sometimes has conversations with her father on camera that haven’t happened yet in real life. And this makes her grateful for sharing time together.
“To see him how I saw him when I was 5, and him to see me as a little girl but also as this woman being able to stand next to him proudly, it’s such an incredible experience,” she said.
On Tuesday, “Lopez vs. Lopez” is premiering two back-to-back episodes.
The first, “Lopez vs. Raider Nation,” will add another layer of comedic dysfunction to the show: introducing actor Jaime Camil in a recurring role as Josué, the boyfriend of Mayan’s mom, Rosie (played by Selenis Leyva).
“My character is an injury lawyer and he needs to be super charming,” Camil said in an interview. “But he also needs to be a little bit shady. So you don’t know if he’s going to win the case or maybe take your money.”
Camil, who is best known as Rogelio de la Vega in the CW romantic comedy “Jane the Virgin,” said his character was given enough room to create both “friction and bonding experiences” with George and the Lopez family.
“The most important thing of the show is the writing and the situations that happen,” he said.
Al Madrigal, who plays George’s best friend Oscar, will also appear in “Lopez vs. Raider Nation,” along with NFL legend Marshawn Lynch.
“The best way to describe my character in ‘Lopez vs. Lopez’ this season is if anyone has a scheme or a con that they want to run on anyone, my character is a willing accomplice,” Madrigal told NBC News. “You also get to see a lot more heart from my character.”
Many fans will remember the stand-up comic as the senior Latino correspondent on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart.
Madrigal, whose previous roles include the movies “Night School” with Kevin Hart and “The Way Back” with Ben Affleck, said that “Lopez vs. Lopez” currently stands out as “the only Latino ensemble TV show on network or streaming.”
But while being part of a Latino story is important, he would also like to play different characters “without too much emphasis on their heritage.”
“We definitely need more representation. And that’s why ‘Lopez vs. Lopez’ is a huge win for all of us — its success will lead to other shows like it being made,” he said. “But I want us to play the full scope of what Black, Caucasian and Asian actors get to play. We should be able to play all those roles.”
The second episode, “Lopez vs. Let It Go,” will bring back Carlos the Curandero (a spiritual healer played by Cheech Marin), as well as a guest appearance by Tommy Chong.
For more from NBC Latino, sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
