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2 • Terre Haute Tribune-Star • October 30 - November 5, 2022 Relations haven't always been rosy between George Lopez and his daughter, and they don't mind the world knowing it. The comedian and his offspring Mayan play versions of themselves as they revisit their relationship – which was very fractured for some time – in "Lopez vs. Lopez," an NBC comedy premiering Friday, Nov. 4. Co-stars include Matt Shively and Selenis Leyva, and while humor largely is used to show the on-screen family's dysfunction, the real-life George and Mayan admit their estrangement and reconciliation hasn't been a laughing matter in many moments. "My parents got divorced about 10 years ago," Mayan Lopez says, "and within the last two years, my dad and I really solidified our relationship. There was a time where we didn't speak and were estranged for about three years, but the pandemic brought us back together, and I started making TikToks with my family to reconnect. And ('Lopez vs. Lopez' executive producer) Debby Wolfe was scrolling one day and she saw one of our TikToks, and this was kind of born from that idea." George Lopez notes differences between doing the new show and having made the earlier sitcoms "George Lopez," "Saint George" and "Lopez." He reflects that after the NBC premiere of an episode, "The next day, you're on (the streaming service) Peacock, and then on you're on NBC again. I think as times have changed, social media has changed and the comedy has changed, yet the (approach) of multicamera (production) doesn't change. To have done it 20 years ago is great, but (so is) to do it now, with people that are incredibly talented and much easier to find than it was 20 years ago." Wolfe opines, "That's because George Lopez and the show 'George Lopez' really did pave the way and opened up a lot of doors and inspired a lot of Latinx talent to pursue their dreams. And now, here we are. We do have so much great talent (of that ethnicity) coming in, and it is different than it was in the past." Executive producer Bruce Helford ("The Drew Carey Show," "Roseanne") believes "Lopez vs. Lopez" will be "a fun game for viewers to watch and go, 'Ooh, all of a sudden, there is something there that's very real.' It's an amazing thing to watch, that both George and Mayan are so open to exploring all the things ... not just with the writers, but also what they have to bring from their own experiences together." Adds Mayan, "This is an experience of a lifetime, to be able to do this with my father. I have studied to be a comedian, but really, the inception of my love of comedy started at a young age." It's 'Lopez vs. Lopez' in NBC's new parent-and-child sitcom Matt Shively, Mayan Lopez, George Lopez and Selenis Leyva (from left) star in "Lopez vs. Lopez," premiering Friday on NBC. BY JAY BOBBIN