“I had to figure out how to revisit rather than relive,” admits Mayan Lopez about exploring her family conflict on “Lopez vs Lopez.” For our recent webchat she also says, “Laughter is a way of release. It’s a way of processing what is happening in life.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

Lopez is a writer, creator and star of the NBC sitcom. In the series, a father moves in with his adult daughter after many years of an estrangement caused by his infidelity. The actress stars opposite her real life dad, George Lopez. She explains, “the most important part of the show, for me, is the essence of family. It is based on the relationship, loosely, of my dad and I. It really has brought us closer together, just like our characters. The authenticity of this show expands into many different aspects.”

The idea for the series came from a series of TikTok videos Mayan made when she reconnected with her dad during the COVID 19 pandemic. She says, “TikTok is a really a big thing culturally. We are able to marry that into what we do in a sitcom. We use it as a hook for our comedy. We use it to our advantage.”

The series has just been renewed for a second season. Mayan reflects, “In the pilot, there’s a scene where we go back and forth. During rehearsals, I did too much and started crying; it got too personal. After that, my dad and I walked on eggshells. As the season progressed, our relationship has gotten stronger. Having that respect for one another has translated into our father and daughter relationship. He has gotten to know me as the person I am now. In the finale, we had an intervention for George. My dad cries and realizes how important family is. I was really crying there with him. We were able to be vulnerable with each other. From the first episode to the last, we were finally able to get to that place with one another. It is indicative of what my and George’s arc was and what leads to season two. There’s so much to play with that.”

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