TV just got a lot 'whiter,' says a canceled George Lopez

George Lopez, the first Latino to lead a television series successfully, isn't laughing. "TV just became really, really white again," he said.

ABC, he said, has "unceremoniously" canceled his self-titled comedy, which over the years chronicled his personal life from his sad childhood growing up with an abusive grandmother, to his alcoholism and kidney transplant.

"The George Lopez Show" will live on in syndication, but that's not making Lopez feel better about not getting the chance to tell one final season of stories. Lopez said Steve McPherson, ABC president of prime-time entertainment, called him over the weekend to explain that "financially" it wasn't working out, that the network would lose money if it picked up the show again.

That explanation was painful to hear, Lopez said, considering the way the network has shuffled his show over the years -- four different time slots in five years -- and putting it up against "American Idol" time and time again.

It all contributed to the show's low ratings, a point not lost on Lopez who noted that this season his show out-performed two freshman comedies that were renewed: "Notes from the Underbelly" and "Knights of Prosperity."

"I’ll take the good and the bad," Lopez said. "I took the five years of good and I did a lot with the good. My popularity, I was involved in charities, I overcame my illness, all on TV. I shared all of that with America—every secret I had. Every personal feeling. Every emotion. Everything was open to the show. And what happens?"

Lopez said he attributed the cancellation in part to the fact that the show is produced by Warner Bros. Television, and not ABC Television Studios. Using some colorful language that cannot be printed in a family newspaper, Lopez scoffed in particular at another ABC pickup: "Cavemen," about two brothers and one best friend, described as sophisticated cave dudes living in modern-day Atlanta, who will continually find themselves at odds with contemporary society.

"I get kicked out for a...caveman and shows that I out-performed because I’m not owned by [ABC Television Studios]...So a...Chicano can't be on TV but a...caveman can?" Lopez said. "And a Chicano with an audience already? You know when you get in this that shows do not last forever, but this was an important show and to go unceremoniously like this hurts. One hundred seventy people lost their jobs."

For his part, Lopez will be fine. He has an HBO special and a movie coming in the summer, and a deal with Warner Bros. to produce television movies.

"They dealt with us from the bottom of the deck," Lopez said. "Which is hard to take after what was a good run."

** Editor's update: Whoa! Hold your fire, "ATJ" fans!

No sooner did we report the cancellation of the Jim Belushi comedy "According to Jim" that we heard from seemingly everyone who watches the show that we were wrong, wrong, wrong. Well, they may be right, the show might very well be renewed after all. But ABC won't confirm that. We'll keep checking back.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Comments

[Craig]

These decisions are based on $$$$. It's all $$$$ - that's why music and television have suffered from a lack of creativity (unproven commodities don't get made, because at the executive level of these studio's it's so cut-throat no one is willing to take a risk). George your show got cancelled because what it costs ABC to produce or buy, doesn't match-up favorably to what it will earn the studio. You are retarded to think otherwise (and the race card, paalleeaaassseee!!!!!!). The Latino population is growing, and as their purchasing power continues to increase, there will be plenty of Latino programming.

[whitey]

Never watched his show, never will. Never thought he was funny. Don't care what color his skin is. Get over yourself and your "race". By far the most racist people I know are not caucasian..........

[rachel soto]

George, you pathetic fooool! I'm a Hispanic, and I DON"T THINK YOUR FUNNY!

[Benoit]

Jorge Lopez is a loser.

[Tim]

George, get over it. The show was bland and the story lines were contrived. Playing race card politics is such a cop out way to show your malcontent for something that didn't go your way. I remember hearing you talking about your years of dreams, struggles and triumphs. And after going through all that, when something gets taken away you pout and blame others for it. Wow seems like that crybaby attitude of yours is beginning to look "really, really white" too.

[Rico]

That show was funny the first season and half, but you can only play on the same Mexican-American stereotypes so many times before it's just not funny anymore - and this show just isn't funny anymore. Shame on George for hiding behind his ethnicity. Try producing a quality product, and the cavemen wouldn't be knocking you off your pedestal.

[Ron]

George come on man why did you have to drop the race card thing.As a white guy I had a lot of respect for you and to play the race just makes me sick.
I've lost a lot of respect for you George.
I watched religiously every week reruns and all and to do this, just STUPID.
I going to miss the show and especially Constance....she is such a babe. Take it back George and suck it up and move on. Don't lower yourself to playing the race card.

[JWH]

"The ONLY reason non-whites have the freedoms and success that they have in the USA is due to the blood, kindness (i say suckerness), compassion, and curiousity of white america."

Wrong. The only reason why whites have the freedoms and success that they have in the USA is due to the blood and sweat from African slaves and the free labor that came along with it for hundreds of years in this country.

http://nogibbons.blogspot.com

[el diablo]

Nice job Jorge, I actually kinda enjoyed small bits of your show, but let's face it television is driven by ratings and money. If you had either, you would still be on. So, instead of moving on, you become a racist. I never hear white folk complaining about it when their show gets cancelled, but in America race is the last refuge of anyone who loves to claim the mantle of the oppressed. Hey, it's easier than being good!

[Sharkey]

Lopez isn't funny. The show was a bomb and the only reason it's been on this long is because AMB wanted to pander to the Hispanic community.

Sorry, GL. You're not funny so please don't blame everyone but yourself.

[Rocky Golds]

Wrong again George. It had nothing to do with your race. Leaving an unfunny "comedian" on the air for five years is the ONLY crime here. And the viewers are your victims. You steal jokes and don’t have any original material. If anyone is being racist it's you.

[Mike]

I don't blame George Lopez for being angry that he was canceled because of a Caveman show. That would aggravate me too. All his whining about TV now being "whiter" is stupid and shows what kind of person he is. Is he saying that white people aren't funny? If he feels that way, he should begin investing his time (and money) into finding funny Hispanic actors and writing quality scripts for them. His show wasn't funny, was one dimensional, and deserved to be canceled. Somebody please bring back a show that was actually funny...Arrested Development!!!!!!!

[michele]

I never watched, its not my kind of tv - George needs to get a Law & Order or CSI show then I will watch him

[Jose]

Show no funny.

[Travis Roste]

Place the race card, George, don't worry that your show was a snoozer. It was about race every episode. People get sick of that. Seinfeld wasn't about being white. Cheers wasn't about being white. That's why they stuck around so long. They were funny. The cosby show wasn't about being black, at least not most of the time. But George Lopez show was about being 'Chicano', all of the time. Boooring!

[James]

The show was just as funy as some of the other garbage ABC aires. They should have given Lopez one more season to close the show on a high note. Latinos are underrepresented on mainstream television and deserve an intelligent show with positive characters and strory lines. Thanks for the laughs George!!

[Joe]

So...who else is tired of people using their ethnicity as an excuse for sucking?

I mean here's a guy that regularly glorifies drunk-driving in his comedy routines and now he's blaming "whitey" for not liking him? No one gives a rip about his life and as much as he thinks so, its not owed to him.

Its your typical "victim mentality" that I think America as whole is sick and tired of.

Its cry-babies like George that will make producers think twice before getting involved with minorities and I can't say that I blame them....No one likes stepping in a pile of crap.

[Everett W.]

I respect George Lopez's talent but honestly, his sitcom had become a shadow of its former self. It was time.

[Guillermo]

I read the article and some of the comments and I was a little confused. Either the people who left comments can't read or failed reading comprehension.

So, for the benefit of those who can't read this is what I read:

Lopez said he attributed the cancellation in part to the fact that the show is produced by Warner Bros. Television, and not ABC Television Studios.

Lopez did make the following comment,"TV just became really, really white again."

I wouldn't characterize the comment as racist, but it certainly isn't PC. Although, some may argue he gets points for being honest (a point not uncommonly made by right-wing bloggers and radio personalities). You know the frequently heard refrain, "it's not racist if it's factually correct."

Generally, I agree with the assessment of most bloggers on here that GL Show was cancelled due to poor writing (the show just wasn't funny). The same can be said of the James Belushi show.

I find it interesting that there seems to be this rush to attack Mr. Lopez and make his comments out to be more than they were. I guess in light of the Imus controversy it should be no surprise. There is a distinction between the 2 comments as I see it. First, Imus made a disparaging remark about the Rutgers b-ball team. Mr. Lopez' remark was, "TV just became really, really white again,"

Now I assume he meant this wasn't a desirable outcome, although it's possible he was just describing the situation (although not likely). It is not disparaging, by any stretch of the imagination, to say to white people that TV just became really really white again (even if it's not an outcome you think is desirable). On the other hand, I can't conceive of any situation where calling a black woman a nappy headed ho would not be offensive.

In any case, I think I made my point. Sorry for being so long-winded.

[JRS]

I liked George Lopez a lot until that white comment came out of his mouth. Blaming your personal failures/challenges on your race is insulting to everyone. Grow up and stop blaming whites for your predicaments. Also, white is not a race; Caucasian is. How come we don't call you Browns? Stop the madness; we're Americans first. Get over it!