HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Another twist has been added to an already changing future of late-night TV.
George Lopez has been tapped to host a new hourlong talk show on TBS, the network revealed Tuesday.
TBS said the show will have celebrity guests, live music and comedy performances in what is described as an "outdoor street-party atmosphere." The as-yet-untitled project will launch in November, airing Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m.
The new program marks a return to television for the 47-year-old Lopez, whose hit ABC sitcom ended its run in 2007 after six seasons. He said he plans to offer late-night viewers something they can relate to.
"I'm a pretty visible Mexican-American guy who has managed to cross over," Lopez told The Associated Press. "I'm not a singer. I'm not Antonio Banderas. I'm a guy who came up the hard way on the street, and I speak to people who have the same life story."
Lopez won TBS over with a pilot that he shot on an outdoor soundstage. The audience was very much a part of the pilot as it interacted with guests Eva Longoria, Dane Cook and Samuel L. Jackson.
"Look, you can either go to Nieman Marcus or you can go to a flea market," Lopez explained to AP. "When you go to a swap meet, there's just a ground-level feel that you can find anything there. At Nieman Marcus, you're not going to find tube socks and pliers. This will be a flea market feel."
Lopez will be joining a crowded field that is currently in the midst of change. Conan O'Brien will take over NBC's "Tonight" show in June, replacing Jay Leno who is moving into a prime-time slot at the network. O'Brien's "Late Night" duties were recently inherited by former "Saturday Night Live" star Jimmy Fallon.
- Comment
