Lopez Vs. Lopez Star Talks Wanting To Play ‘The Best TV Dad’ And Working With ‘Legend’ Stephen Tobolowsky For New Episode
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Lopez vs. Lopez came to NBC in the 2022-2023 TV season as a fresh kind of family sitcom, featuring the real-life father/daughter duo of George Lopez and Mayan Lopez. The show was enough of a hit to earn a full season order, and the new year will showcase a new side of Matt Shively’s Quinten when his dad comes into town, played by One Day at a Time alum Stephen Tobolowsky. Shively spoke with CinemaBlend about his goal to play the best father on TV, what it was like to work with Stephen Tobolowsky on their second show in common, and more.
While fans will have to tune in to NBC’s new episode of Lopez vs. Lopez on January 20 to see how well Sam Van Bryan and George get along (or don’t get along), I spoke with Matt Shively about getting to play a great dad to Chance and supportive partner to Mayan in a sitcom. It turns out that those qualities in Quentin go way back to the beginning stages of the show, after shooting the pilot and before they started shooting for the season. The actor shared:
Those qualities of empathy and compassion have made Quinten the punchline of some of George’s jokes, and Matt Shively joked that his character is “the perfect punching bag, and I love being the punching bag.” Lopez vs. Lopez has showcased those qualities as what make the character such a great partner and father. If anything, Quinten living with George despite all the jokes is just another sign that he’s far from – to quote Shively – ”self-obsessed and absorbed.” The actor went on:
Quinten has stiff competition when it comes to the claim of “best TV dad,” up against candidates like Danny Tanner (played by the late Bob Saget) from Full House and Uncle Phil (played by the late James Avery) from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, to name just two! The Lopez vs. Lopez character definitely stands out, however, as he’s younger than many sitcom dads and faces different kinds of challenges, which he has (so far) been able to rise to. Matt Shively didn’t give away all the details about how his character will handle having his own dad in town, but did share how much the new episode means to him:
Who could root against a character who is just always willing to prioritize his family and loved ones, usually with a smile on his face? It’s hard to say what he was like before he was a father to Chance and partner to Mayan, but the arrival of his father will undoubtedly shed some light on how he became the man he is today.
And as it turns out, working with Stephen Tobolowsky on Lopez vs. Lopez isn’t the first time that Shively and Tobolowsky have appeared on the same show. When asked what his reaction was to learning that Tobolowsky would be playing Sam Van Bryan, the actor explained the backstory:
After working on the same show more than a decade ago, the two actors are back sharing the screen for Lopez vs. Lopez! Interestingly, True Jackson, VP actually featured several actors who would move onward and upward from Nickelodeon. In addition to Matt Shively earning a spot in Lopez vs. Lopez, Robbie Amell went on to projects like The Tomorrow People and The Flash before Amazon’s Upload, while Keke Palmer (who recently opened up about playing the titular True Jackson) has appeared in notable films including Husters and Jordan Peele’s Nope.
And now, Stephen Tobolowsky is coming to Lopez vs. Lopez! With the next episode of Lopez vs. Lopez featuring George, Sam, and Quinten as dads, how do they compare as fathers? While it’s a safe bet that George Lopez and Tobolowsky have the sitcom experience to become a hilarious duo, Matt Shively previewed that what’s ahead for the three men may not be all laughs. He shared:
Quinten has found a different kind of success than becoming a doctor or architect, and definitely hasn’t followed the same path of fatherhood as George, even with George working to be there for his family now. Matt Shively went on to say that after “Quinten became a father at 17 years old,” then parenthood “became his job.” The actor explained:
How will the sitcom put a spin on fatherhood with the introduction of Stephen Tobolowsky as Sam, while also delivering the usual laughs from the live studio audience? Find out with the next new episode of Lopez vs. Lopez, called “Lopez vs Van Bryan,” on Friday, January 20 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC ahead of a new episode of Young Rock Season 3. You can also find past episodes streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.