Entertainment

'Lopez' Fans Should Watch These Shows

by Caroline Gerdes
Mike Coppola/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

George Lopez's semi-autobiographical TV Land comedy series, Lopez, reaches its second season finale on Wednesday, June 21. Fans of the comedian, and the series, are therefore likely watching in anticipation, wondering if Lopez will return for Season 3?

There has been no word yet about if Lopez on TV Land has been renewed. In April, it was announced that TV Land's network darling Younger and Teachers were both renewed. An article in The Hollywood Reporter about the renewal of Younger and Teachers also reported that the network's new show Nobodies was renewed before it even premiered (hello, it's got Melissa McCarthy's name attached), while Throwing Shade and Lopez's fates hung in the balance. If it did return, though, it would likely air in March 2018, just as the past two seasons have.

With the Lopez finale fast approaching, there is no news to quell fans concerns. After all, this would not be the first semi-autobiographical comedy from George Lopez that fans have had to say goodbye to. There was the family sitcom George Lopez, which ran for six seasons on ABC, and Saint George, a more adult semi-autobiographical show which lasted one season on FX.

While fans wait for news about Lopez, there are plenty of other popular semi-autobiographical, comedian-helmed sitcoms to tide them over.

1

'Louie'

Louis C.K.'s philosophical brand of comedy translated well into his FX series which incorporated scripted storylines intertwined with stand-up. Seasons 1 - 5 are streaming on Netflix.

Editor's Note: On Nov. 9, C.K. was accused of sexual misconduct by five women. C.K. has since responded to the claims, saying:

"I want to address the stories told to the New York Times by five women named Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia who felt able to name themselves and one who did not.
These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my d*ck without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your d*ck isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly. I have been remorseful of my actions. And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I’m aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would never have put them in that position. I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn't want to hear it. I didn't think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it. There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with. I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work.
The hardest regret to live with is what you've done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. I’d be remiss to exclude the hurt that I’ve brought on people who I work with and have worked with who’s professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production: the cast and crew of Better Things, Baskets, The Cops, One Mississippi, and I Love You Daddy. I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused. I’ve brought anguish and hardship to the people at FX who have given me so much The Orchard who took a chance on my movie. and every other entity that has bet on me through the years. I’ve brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother.
I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen. Thank you for reading."

2

'Maron'

Marc Maron played a semi-autobiographical version of himself, podcast and all, on this self-titled IFC series. The full series is available on Netflix.

3

'Master Of None'

Renaissance man Aziz Ansari's stand-up about love, family, and being a modern man inspired his Netflix original series Master Of None. Both of the show's seasons are streaming, and hopefully there are more episodes to come.

Editor's Note: On Jan. 13, Ansari was accused of sexual misconduct by a woman who went on a date with him. Ansari has since responded to the claims, saying:

"In September of last year, I met a woman at a party. We exchanged numbers. We texted back and forth and eventually went on a date. We went out to dinner, and afterwards we ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual.

The next day, I got a text from her saying that although 'it may have seemed okay,' upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable. It was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned. I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said.

I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue."

4

'The Sarah Silverman Program'

Sarah Silverman's shocking, raunchy, absurd, and hilarious stand-up comedy made for a shocking, raunchy, absurd, and hilarious Comedy Central show that ran for three seasons.

5

'The Carmichael Show'

The Carmichael Show is based on the life of comedian Jerrod Carmichael. The show does not shy away from sensitive subjects and provides thoughtful commentary, true to Carmichael's style. The Carmichael Show currently airs on NBC, but the first two seasons are on Netflix.

6

'The Jim Gaffigan Show'

Jim Gaffigan's stand-up is mostly about food and raising five kids. His clean comedy is just as hilarious when translated into a TV Land sitcom. The gone-too-soon series lasted two seasons.

7

'Lady Dynamite'

The absurd comedy series is based on Maria Bamford's real life issues with depression and mental illness — and the comedian's real midwestern parents. The first season of the Netflix original series is streaming now.

8

'Seinfeld'

Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up not only inspired NBC's landmark series, but it also was incorporated into the show, the brick wall behind Seinfeld in these moments became an iconic trope. The show about nothing, based on stand-up about nothing, is available on Hulu.

9

'Curb Your Enthusiasm'

We couldn't talk Seinfeld without Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm. After Seinfeld, the comedian got his semi-autobiographical HBO series based on life without Seinfeld. Curb is available on Amazon Prime.

10

'Everybody Loves Raymond'

Ray Romano's stand-up about his family turned into a nine season hit comedy loosely based on the comedian's family. The series is available in full on Netflix.

11

'Everybody Hates Chris'

The show's title was inspired by Ray Ramano, but the content was based on Chris Rock's comedy about his own coming of age. The series is available on Hulu.

12

'Roseanne'

Stand-up comic Roseanne Barr's material about motherhood and blue collar life turned into '90s hit Roseanne. The show is still so beloved that it is coming back for more episodes this fall.

Whatever you choose to watch, there's plenty out there for Lopez fans — even if his show doesn't come back for more.