Written By Jennifer Amato
If I didn’t have to finish writing my review, I probably would have changed the channel on Lopez before the first commercial break.
I had a hot-and-cold relationship with The George Lopez Show and watched a few episodes of Lopez Tonight. I saw George Lopez do stand up in person, which was so-so. However, based on the commercials, I wanted to give his new show Lopez a try.
The show is a mixture of racial jokes and celebrity entitlement. Lopez goes to hang out with Snoop Dogg, but then is asked to entertain Snoop’s maid. At his daughter’s expensive boarding school, a parent gives Lopez his valet ticket, but then Lopez does the same thing to the mayor who is also Hispanic. He complains to his black friend about having to take part in a celebrity “Assistant for a Day” auction at the school, which the friend describes as “slave for a day.”
The funniest moments reflect Lopez’s actual life. For instance, the headmaster at the school says, “When you took your wife’s kidney and then divorced her, it didn’t help you in the Bragmoor community.” Or his friend says, “You pissed off your ex-wife, you pissed off your ex-manager, you piss off everybody.”
I find it ironic that during the show, Lopez’s publicist tells him that 80 percent of blacks and Latinos are fans while only 30 percent of whites and Asians make up his fan base because they find him relatable. I like George Lopez, I do, but I find this show to be stretching comedy too far. Lopez reaches for jokes by being too sarcastic. He lacks the “orale” and “Ay Dios Mio” of his original sitcom which made him a household name. There is an edge to this show, one that focuses on society as it is in 2016, but it’s overkill. If the writers backed off of the social message a little and focused more on comedy, the show could have potential. For now, I found myself watching the clock so I could finish my review so I could catch up on the shows I was DVRing during the same time slot.
Rating: 4 out of 10
