Did the 'Lopez Tonight' premiere go overboard on the race talk?

November 10, 1:53 PMBoston TV ExaminerMichael Langston Moore

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Is 'Lopez Tonight' too focused on race? (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)

Last night, George Lopez became the first Chicano to host a late-night talk show with TBS' "Lopez Tonight."  The comedian, best known for his stand-up comedy and network series "The George Lopez Show," featured Eva Longoria Parker, Kobe Bryant, and Carlos Santana as guests.

Late night television has undergone a makeover over the past month, as Lopez, Wanda Sykes, and Mo'Nique all currently host their own shows.  Last night, as Lopez looked out at his diverse audience, he proclaimed, "This is what America looks like."

Throughout the show, Lopez made racial references, hitting viewers hard over the head regarding the significance of the moment.  Viewers and critics unfamiliar with Lopez's style of comedy may have found it off-putting and even downright annoying, however.

Barry Garron at The Hollywood Reporter falls into that category.  He suggests that Lopez's constant talk of ethnicity threatens to "choke the life out of his talk show."  Garron writes: "It's one thing to have a diverse guest list and quite another to hail every guest appearance as a testimonial to the concept."

While Garron isn't fond of Lopez's interviewing skills, it's the comedian's content that he most finds fault with:

In Monday's premiere, simultaneously carried on TBS, TNT and truTV, the show managed to celebrate ethnicity and eke laughter out of offensive stereotypes. Just before introducing Parker, Lopez brought up two members of the audience. Following a video clip of a person-on-the-street interview, each one had to guess how the person on tape would answer a question.

Would the black guy say he's been to jail? Would the young Filipina acknowledge giving a happy ending? Would the Asian man own up to having a small penis? Would the toothless white guy admit to using the "N" word? Sure seemed like an odd way of "bringing change to late night TV."

Fair or Foul?

It's always tough to say how a comedian should approach his style of comedy for a mainstream audience.  TBS knew what George Lopez was about, and felt that his style would translate well on screen.  Lopez does indeed see some things through a racial lens--when his network show was cancelled, he was quoted as saying, "TV just became really, really white again." 

Late-night television is a different animal than primetime TV, but most critics lauded Dave Chappelle's take on race on his all-too-brief Comedy Central show. 

Carlos Mencia?  D.L Hughley?  Not so much. 

It can be done, it just needs to be done well.

George Lopez is still learning the talk-show game, so he still has time to grow.  As he does, it'll be interesting to see if his comedy changes, too.

At the end of the day, however, Lopez is a smart comedian.  And when discussing race, that's a key trait.  The question is, how long can one use the same shtick before it grows old? 

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