George Lopez Brings His Comedy to TBS Talk Show
George Lopez
Late night is about to get a little more crowded.
Comedian and former sitcom star George Lopez has been tapped to headline a new late-night talk show for TBS in the fall. The network describes the show as having an outdoor street-party atmosphere with a high-energy live audience. In addition to celebrity and musical guests, Lopez is hoping his personality and brand of comedy will draw viewers in.
"It's a good gig and it's very exciting. I think people are excited," Lopez tells TVGuide.com. "What takes a lot of the pressure off me is that I've had HBO specials and toured successfully from Radio City to the Paramount in Seattle. The people that come to see me I know will be excited about this show."
The as-yet-untitled show will be produced by Lopez and Jim Paratore (The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Bonnie Hunt Show). Lopez said he hopes to appeal to a younger audience and also provide non-typical guests. Mad Men star Jon Hamm, rock guitarist Slash, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton and Olympic snowboarder Shaun White are all on Lopez's early wish list.
While Lopez concedes that there are a lot of good late-night choices at the moment — he's a fan of Bill Maher, Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel — he still thinks his show will stand out. "I'm not a white male. There is no one on TV that looks like me," he says. "I think that's a plus, not a minus, especially when you manage to connect. My point of view, comedically, is different — I'm a little edgier. I think that is significant.
"I don't want to take away from [other hosts'] audiences; I just want to create my own with people I think would come and see me," Lopez said. "You can't reinvent everything in an hour, but what you can do is get people on the show that you might not see on The Tonight Show. It's like making a soup, and I'm looking to add in some different ingredients, some different flavors."
Lopez's show will air Monday through Thursday at 11 pm/ET on TBS, beginning in November 2009.
Will you give Lopez's late-night show a chance?
