George Lopez stars in the show George Lopez. (Photo: ABC)

Starring: George Lopez, Constance Marie, Valente Rodriguez

In keeping with its promise to add ethnic diversity to its prime-time lineup, the ABC network gave the green light to the development of a weekly, half-hour sitcom built around the talents of Latino standup comedian George Lopez. On his eponymously titled series, Lopez was cast as "himself," an employee at a large airplane-parts factory not named Lockheed. Newly promoted to manager, George now found himself in the untenable position of ordering around his old pals -- not to mention his own mother, and fellow employee, the indomitable and insufferable Benny Lopez (Benita Moreno). Others in the cast included Constance Marie as George's wife Angie, Masiela Lusha and Luis Armand Garcia as his children, and Valente Rodriguez as his best friend Ernie. George Lopez debuted on March 27, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide