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

[velvel18]

yawn. most of commercial teevee is tedious tedious tedious. pbs is gutless gutless gutless (i.e., the nonshowing of Islam versus Islam shows this). and cable is either interesting or puerile but generally has something to see (maybe). but i do recall that this is supposed to be a money-making biz

[American in Califorina]

Dear" Hanibal" with the glass mandible. Your comment reads like the kind of person that is afraid to take a stand. So you attack all sides and then slither in to whatever position takes popular root, regardless of right or wrong. George Lopez and HIS RACEIST remark is the news. The comments are a reflection of the pretty much across the board unacceptance of GEORGE LOPEZ'S RACEIST REMARK.

[Jojoba]

I think we finally figured out the pecking order out here in LA. It goes Cavemen THEN Latinos.

[Santiago Ocampo]

I could painfully tolerate the LAPD violence at Macarthur Park but this is the straw that broke the camel's back.

[natalee]

It could quite possibly be because I, myself, am Mexican but George Lopez created community among Hispanic people through television. Honestly, I can't think of any other television show that directly portrays the traditional Hispanic/Chicano family. It's terrible that his show has been cancelled. Now the only way we see Hispanics portrayed on sitcoms is when they are mentioned in a laughing manner.

But I guess there's Ugly Betty and Mexican soap operas (which, by the way, are better than any American soap opera).

[Pam]

Actually had he not been hispanic the show would have been removed 5 years ago. It just wasn't very good. I wish him well.

[carlacalifornia]

Regardless of whether the show was canceled due to economics or because Lopez belongs to a particular culture does not warrant the draconian and racist remarks left via this medium.
His show was canceled, MOVE on….Get a life Mr. Lopez. And all YOU white supremacists should get back to your Klan rallies and methamphetamine binges.

Posted by: Hannibal

Mr Hannibal - you sure are the most 'draconian' and 'racist ' I have seen on here- get a grip

[spastic jack]

I used to watch the show, untill he made it a point to berate my country, you know the one that he made millions of dollars in.
Once his true colors began to show, the general population tuned out.
Which proves another point.
1:Most Americans (of every race) are proud of their country, and dont like or support anybody who feels the need to put it down.
2: There arent enough anti American illegals to support him, or any other organization that uses their race against this country.

[Ms. Sanchez]

George Lopez isn't Chicano or Mexican-American. Years ago on a talk show I heard him say he was Guatemalan. So we should respect that.

[Jose Garcia]

George tried to be Latino by doing stereotypical images of Latinos (such as his daughter's affair), but he wasn't very funny or entertaining. All shows end because they stop getting the ratings or making money. People move on...but George feels he deserves a show even if it's not very hilarious.

[Hen]

Okay, were we all reading the same thing. Were on here did he say or insinuate that race was the reason his show was cancelled. He said that TV just got a whiter again, it is. He pointed out that his show got better ratings than some other shows that were renewed, it did. Nowhere did he say race played a part in his cancellation. All this jibberish some of these people posting about most African Americans always blaming whitey is just stupid and a lie. Yes, some do but no more than white's do. Just come to the south. Then another comment by AsianPursuasion took another cheap shot at other minorities but what she failed to do was a history lesson on the level and quality of education received in minority-majority neighborhoods or the fact that many Asian-Americans receive grants and tax benefits for starting their businesses or the fact that a substantial number of their kids are not in the substandard failing schools. Ms Pursuasion, do you think that you can change overnight something that was built in the system for over a 100 years. It takes time and African-Americans are seeing gains in test scores and admissions into college. Another idiot said that Mexican-Americans would not have anything if it was not for whites fighting and dying in wars. You idiot, blacks also fought in the wars back then when they were considered second class citizens and many mexicans are fighting now in wars protecting our so-called freedom who do not receive their citizenship until they come back in a coffin. Then more jibberish about him insulting the president. The president is a man just like anyone else and seeing that many of his mistakes and short comings have cost thousands of people their lives, he should be insulted to the fullest. As I see it, most of you people have a comment but not a clue.

[caveman]

I for one am getting pretty tired of all the racist comments about cavemen. Why isn't anyone standing up for us? If you think mexicans or africans or whites are getting a bad deal, look at how cavemen are treated by the media. Where are the role models for our cave children? You'd think we didn't exist. Who would believe that life would be like this in the twenty-first century?

[A.J.]

If George wants another season to finish his story he should see if Ms. Bullock is willing to shop the show around and try another network and maybe take a pay cut if the money doesn't work. Isn't it better in hollywood to work for a little less than to not work at all? I would think that George would be fairly happy with a five year run on prime time t.v., most sitcom ideas don't even make the light of day. I, for one, don't give a rat's rear end what color or race the person is that is doing the sitcom, I just care if its funny.

[federalistcapers]

i have tried to watch lopez's show and belushi's as well...well,...the set was on and i would look at it...anywho,..in all these years, not once have i even cracked a smile or giggled at anything on either one of these shows..they and many shows like them ARE why television is losing its audience at a break-neck pace.

[stu guzzone]

TV just got better...

[unclesmrgol]

The guy had 5 years. That's pretty good for any show -- most shows last 3 years tops, and the ones that have lasted 5 or more can be counted on your fingers and toes.

So, George is in the company of "I Love Lucy", "Cheers", "Hogan's Heroes", "Seinfeld", "Sanford and Son", "All in the Family", "The Cosby Show", "WKRP", "I dream of Jeannie", and "Get Smart", and his show certainly beats the far better and funnier "Munsters", "McHale's Navy", "The Addams' Family", "Mr. Ed", "My Favorite Martian", and "F Troop".

George should congratulate himself on having dodged the bullet far longer than most, not play the race card, and sit down and watch a few episodes of "Ugly Betty" to see how funny "Hispanic" humor can be.

[JOE]

i'm mexican and i never have liked the man's stuff. i never thought he was funny and never understood how he got so huge. paul rodriguez is much funnier to me than g-lo ever was.

[Matt]

Yes, television is racist...that's why your numbers against American Idol were so dismal...all of us whities are too busy putting 3 black girls into the remaining top 4.
Wow, does the race card ever not get played by losers? Note to self: your show sucked and PC probably kept it on 4.5 years longer than it should have been.

[Bobc]

From what I understand, his comedy stage routines, were pretty foul mouthed and racist!

He'll cry the race card every chance he gets, even as he jumps in his expensive car on the way to the bank!

And he complains about 150 people losing their jobs? What about over 3 million who have lost their jobs to outsourcing, or new Visa workers, and yes even his beloved illegal aliens that have taken American construction jobs??

[Priscilla Miramontes]

George, your show was cancelled because the viewers were tuning out. It has nothing to do with being a chicano. I am latino and I never refer to myself in any situation as such because it is using the race card. Move on