Spoilers ahead for the Season 1 finale of Lopez vs. Lopez, called “Lopez vs Last Call.”
The first season of Lopez vs. Lopez has come to an end as the NBC sitcom that brought legendary comedian George Lopez with his hands-on approach to comedy back to the small screen to join forces with real-life daughter Mayan Lopez. Although NBC wasted little time in giving the show a full-season order, the sitcom had not yet been renewed or cancelled by the time that the Season 1 finale aired on May 9. The episode was a potential game-changer if the Lopez family gets to come back for a second season… complete with an appearance from Snoop Dogg himself!
Let's look at what happened and what we can guess about a second season.
How The Finale Set Up A Potentially Different Season 2
As expected, the first season finale of Lopez vs. Lopez delivered plenty of laughs, with the show's live studio audience clearly loving the shenanigans of the family as much as ever. There was a more serious note to “Lopez vs Last Call,” however, as Mayan became concerned about her dad’s drinking to the point of blacking out.
Even a touching intervention from Mayan, Quinten (Matt Shively), and Rosie (Selenis Leyva) didn’t 100% convince George that he needed to give up his drinking… but Chance (Brice Gonzalez) imitating George – complete with beer bottle – forced him to take a hard look at the example he was setting for the grandson who considered him a hero. In an emotional performance from Lopez, George decided that he needed to give up drinking so that he wouldn’t forget a single moment of his time with family.
The finale didn’t end on a serious note, however, as he returned from his AA meeting with a new sponsor: Calvin, played by Snoop Dogg. In a funny twist, he was only identified as Calvin, but it seems clear that he’s still the Snoop Dogg in the Lopez vs. Lopez universe based on Mayan’s reaction.
On the whole, it was a funny episode with George’s family stepping up for him (including Quinten literally donating blood), and his resolution to give up drinking would mean a different Season 2. After how seriously the show played the decision in the finale, I can't imagine Lopez vs. Lopez just resetting if it comes back for a Season 2, and I would say that there’s a lot to look forward to… if it’s renewed.
Will Lopez Vs. Lopez Be Renewed?
At the time of writing, only two NBC shows have not yet been renewed or cancelled: Lopez vs. Lopez and Young Rock, with which the George Lopez show was paired on Friday nights for most of the 2022-2023 TV season. Time will tell if the shows have a future on the network or fans’ only option is to rewatch via a Peacock Premium subscription, but we can always look at the ratings for some clues.
According to the ratings and viewership totals from TV Series Finale as of the first 21 episodes of Lopez vs. Lopez, the show averages a rating of 0.27 and audience of 1.99 million in the key 18-49 age demographic’s Live+Same day totals. Those numbers put it above Young Rock Season 3’s averages of 0.25 and 1.43 million from the same source, although NBC’s third comedy – Night Court – is considerably ahead of both, with the outlet reporting an average of 0.53 rating and 4.16 million viewers.
Interestingly, Lopez vs. Lopez’s numbers dipped after NBC moved the comedy from Fridays to Tuesdays for the last few episodes of the season. Tuesdays are generally considered stronger nights of primetime than Friday, but Lopez vs. Lopez dropped from 0.31/1.97 million on April 21 to 0.24/1.66 million on April 25. There was a boost for the May 2 episode, with a jump up to 0.27 rating and 1.92 million viewers.
On the whole, it’s hard to guess with much certainty based on ratings about what the future holds for Lopez vs. Lopez, but the numbers do at least prove that it’s not the lowest-rated or least-watched comedy on the network in Live+Same totals. For now, fans can just wait, cross their fingers, and hope that the Season 1 finale wasn’t the end for the Lopez family.
How tragic would it be to lose the show after George’s big decision for Mayan and his family, not to mention his new “blood brothers” status with Quinten? Sure, they had a touching moment with Quinten saying that he’s closer to George than his own father, played by Stephen Tobolowsky, but George’s reactions to Quinten boasting about donating blood resulted in some of my biggest laughs of the episode. For now, it's a matter of waiting on news if there’s a future for Lopez vs. Lopez.
