Characters / The George Lopez Show

A page for characters from George Lopez and their associated tropes. Unmarked spoilers throughout.

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Main Characters

George Edward Lopez

"I GOT THIS!!"

Played by: George Lopez

The main protagonist of the sitcom. An everyday lower middle-class father who works as a manager for an airplane parts factory who tries to give his two children a better childhood than the one that he had.

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• Abusive Parents: Part of his backstory was how horrible Benny was to him. His dad wasn't much better.
• Benevolent Boss: George went from working on the factory line to being Manager, so his fellow employees know him and respect him, in turn George offers the same. George will defend his employees when it's needed, such as Hosni, a Middle-Eastern employee who was being racially profiled out of a job, and had logistics been in his favor, George wouldn't have had to move him (if they had lost the contract, 20 employees would have lost their jobs, so George couldn't save Hosni from job transfer, but he made sure he got same pay). When a new GM wanted to cut a lot of employees, George managed to convince everyone to take a pay cut in order to avoid that, and even gave up a new job offer from the new owner to save everyone. Needless to say, George speaks for his employees out of respect.
• Berserk Button: Don’t threaten or joke about Carmen’s virginity when he’s around, or else.
• Birthday Hater: In the episode "Happy Birthdays" it was established that George didn't really care for birthdays since Benny never went out of her way to make his special. He gets over it by the end of the episode though.
• Blatant Lies: He tries to be as good of liar as Benny, but most of his lies end up as these.
• Book Dumb: Thanks in no small part to his dyslexia.
• Breaking the Cycle of Bad Parenting: While far from perfect, George never lays a hand on his children and does his best to protect them and steer them in the right direction, a contrast from his physically and emotionally abusive mother, who came from another family that was more abusive to her.
• Butt-Monkey: At the hands of Benny and the Powers brothers.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Upon meeting his father for the first time, George lets out all his frustrations and anger on his father for abandoning him and his mother his whole life, going on to have another family, and never bothering to send any form of financial support to them in spite of him having made a fortune. Once Manny snaps back and cruelly insults his mother, George punches him in the face and leaves.
• Character Catchphrase: WAH-PA!, I GOT THIS!!, Ta Loco! and I can't never do NUTH-EEN! are some memorable ones.
• Competition Freak: In later seasons with Angie.
• The Cynic: Especially when compared to Angie. Crosses into Sad Clown when he becomes a Stepford Snarker to hide how angry and bitter he is over his rough lot in life.
• Deadpan Snarker: One of his defining characteristics. By the end of the series, it's pretty much his only one.
• Disappeared Dad: His father, Manny abandoned his mother, and by extension George as well, when George was two.
• Dramatic Irony: It was no secret that most of Angie's family were hoping that her marriage with George with end sooner rather than later. In the end, not only do they stay together throughout the series, but most of Angie's family members, including her parents, end up having marital problems as well.
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: After he got a haircut to look respectable for the president (George W. Bush), his still-long mane caused him to be confused for a large Mexican woman from the back.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: His long, poofy black hair in the early seasons. He was also nicer and less sarcastic.
• Excellent Judge of Character: One of George's strengths is his judgment of others. Whenever George pegs someone as bad or untrustworthy, he'll usually be proven right. Angie lampshades that he has incredible "emotional intelligence".
• Fatal Flaw: His Pride and his dignity have not always worked in his advantage. He refuses to accept help from others and thinks he can take care of things his way. This sometimes makes him seem immature on occasions and sometimes self-motivated.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: George is a competent and committed family man that worked hard for what he has. His half-brother, George, is irresponsible and can't hold down a job. Inverted when it comes to Linda, who is the Responsible to George's foolish.
• Forgetful Jones: Played for Laughs. Dates like birthdays and anniversaries just can't seem to stick in his mind.
• First Girl Wins: Sort of. Angie is the only girl George ever dated. Nineteen years and two kids together is a pretty good accomplishment.
• Freudian Excuse: George frequently makes mistakes and it always goes back his childhood issues with his parents, namely how Benny "raised" him. Angie refers to her as the woman responsible for everything that's wrong with him, and it's pretty accurate.
• Gratuitous Spanish: Does this quite often. His favorite being "¿Sabes qúe?".
• Guile Hero: Not to the extent of Sherlock Holmes or anything, but he's had to rely on his wits and street smarts on more than a couple of occasions, and he tends to resort to lying and or manipulation when a situation he'd rather not deal with arises. Angie once referred to this as his "emotional intelligence."
• Happily Married: They may have their issues here and there, but George and Angie do love each other.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Ernie has been his best friend since the second grade.
• Hilariously Abusive Childhood: While it's clear that he's had more than his share of traumatizing experiences, it's rare that the show won't try and spin it in a humorous light when it comes up.
• Hypocrite: Not as bad as Benny, but he sometimes falls under this. For example, when Angie's mother dies and Ernie suggests that she has unresolved feelings, he mocks Ernie over it only to go with that approach shortly after. He also does the same to Angie when she suggests that Ernie's weight gain was a subconscious excuse to give women a reason to reject him. Additionally, he mocked Ernie for saying that the greatest moment in his life is getting Super Bowl tickets. In a future episode, Ernie helps George set up an HDTV in his bedroom. He proclaims it the greatest moment of his life, which possibly makes the time it was destroyed a form of Laser-Guided Karma.
• Ignore the Fanservice: In "Trick or Treat Me Right", Angie wears a sexy police officer costume for Halloween but George is too depressed over his mother's recent insults about his dyslexia as well as her general habit of insulting him. Ernie, on the other hand, is more than happy to show his appreciation.
• Important Haircut: George is forced to cut his hair by Jack Powers in "Dubya, Dad and Dating". By the next episode, his hair was shorter. He cut it even shorter in Season 4 and spiked it.
• Informed Deformity: He's constantly called out for having a big head, even though it's perfectly normal sized for all intents and purposes. It could also refer to his ego though.
• It's All My Fault: He feels it's his fault why Max has his bad genes, as Max had kidney issues like his father Manny.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be inconsiderate, dismissive, and is a hefty Deadpan Snarker, but he still cares deeply for his family and friends and will stand up for them.
• Leg Focus: He likes to flaunt his well-toned calves whenever he can. Or as he calls it "chocolate thunder."

  Wah-pa!

• Lethal Chef: George unintentionally gave Max salmonella when he tried to make his own chicken fingers.
• Malaproper: "Self-fulfilling prophylactic."
• Misery Builds Character: An Aesop that appears in several episodes that deal with George's childhood. Yeah he grew up poor, abused, neglected, suffered from learning disabilities and was left with a lot of issues. However, George gained a lot of lessons from it which he applies throughout the series. It gave him the nerve to ask Angie out, he has proven more responsible than many of the other adults, and he's a lot better off than Ernie or his half-brother, who had good parents.
  George: [to Benny] I'm anything but a wuss. If you weren't so tough on me, I'd be the type of person who just sat back and let somebody destroy my clubs. Instead, I'm the type of person who breaks into their car and takes this. [pulls Benny's steering wheel out of a bag, smiling the entire time]
• My God, What Have I Done?: George has gone through a few times when he felt like he completely failed as a father.
  • In one episode, Max keeps wetting the bed despite his older age and attempts to correct the problem. George thinks it's just an emotional issue and tells his son to just toughen up. However, he later learns Max has developed kidney disease and requires immediate surgery. When George and Angie question why Max never spoke up about his long-term symptoms, the doctor remarks how Max told him George didn't take him seriously. George is horrified and outright calls himself a horrible father.
  • When Carmen ran away, George immediately gets a flashback to when Carmen wanted to spent time with him as a kid, only for him to brush her off. When Carmen is brought him again and get into another argument, Carmen told him he raised her better than what he thinks she did, but George relents saying he didn't, saying he wasn't there enough and that he sorely regrets it.
• No Sympathy: Usually with Carmen's teenage drama. She once asked George to get rid of Max, so it'd be just the three of them "like the good old days". He unsympathetically corrected her that in the good old days, it was only two of them.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: George is extremely close to Max, even to the point of Parental Favoritism between the latter and Carmen. As such, in the episode where Max was possibly going to repeat a grade, George tried desperately to get his son to take his education seriously. However, when Max makes a nasty remark about his father's "loser job", George goes quiet with disappointed shock. And then, he bluntly states Max can do whatever he wants with his life and he "gives up on him". Even Benny comments how serious George's statement was and tells Max it's a clear sign he "needs to get his crap together". Fortunately, Max does.
• Passed-Over Inheritance: Was in charge of one of these for his niece Veronica.
• Papa Wolf: Is extremely protective of the women in his family, probably more so than Angie is with their kids. Towards Carmen, at least when pressed far enough. Was also this to Veronica, to the point that when a stalker ex-boyfriend broke into the house to see her after being dumped, George actually punched the guy and had an entire offscreen fight with him before the cops showed up.
• Parental Favoritism: The episode "I Only Have Eyes For You" deals with his unfair treatment of Carmen. He gets better.
• Parents as People: He and Angie are not perfect but they do mean well and they think of their kids best interests at heart...even though it doesn't hurt for George to take what his kids say more seriously every now and then.
• Pride: This is basically his Fatal Flaw. He's struggled with this from time to time. But more so in the sense that he'd rather not accept or admit to needing help rather than the high and mighty arrogance typically associated with this trope.
• Protagonist Title: His first and last name are the title of the show.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The more prideful, immature, and strict father figure manly man to his best friend Ernie's more considerate, sweetheart, sensitive guy.
• The Snark Knight: Somewhere around the latter half of the series Sarcasm Mode became his default mode.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: In later seasons, absolutely nobody is safe from his constant snarking and insults.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: He isn't ugly per se, but Angie is definitely out of his league. It gets lampshaded quite often and George proudly states it as true and isn't afraid of showing off his gorgeous wife.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: All he ever wanted for much of his life was love from his Disappeared Dad. This changes when they finally do meet- George realizes how pathetic Manny was and rejects the chance to reconcile, preferring to move on with his life.

Angie Palmero-Lopez

"Having you stay out all night at parties is no different than having you run away."

Played by: Constance Marie

George's wife. A wedding planner.

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• Academic Alpha Bitch: Was a Cheerleader that initially went out with George as a joke (and then fell for him) and she won a lot of academic awards and certificates in school.
• A-Cup Angst: Her 34B bust size is a very sore spot for her.
• Berserk Button: Doesn't like it when people she helps out stabs her in the back, as shown with Marisol.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Angie may be a kind person, but she won't stand for people who exploit her kindness, especially her own family.
  • After Carmen comes back home after running away with Zack Powers, and she repeatedly tries to have her own way, she backs off after Angie gives her an ultimatum: either be their little girl or back out on the street.
  • When Vic came over acting like a total tool to George on Christmas, Angie also told him to Get Out!, saying that he either had to accept George as his son-in-law or leave.
• Big Eater: A few episodes show that she can really pack away the food despite her svelte figure. One episode had her eat an entire cake on the pretense of keeping Ernie from eating it (and still wanting ice cream afterwards); another episode had her binging on boxes of donut holes for the first time in years. The latter incident, in which she let herself go for a short period of time, was enough that George was already showing mild concern that she wasn't caring about her appearance.
• Competition Freak: In later seasons with George.
• Daddy's Girl: She seems to be quite close to her father. She stood up for her father after her mother cheated on him.
• Everyone Has Standards: While Angie is known for being loving and forgiving, she does have limits to her compassion and forgiveness.
  • Despite learning about Ricky's rough home life, she refused to let him in the house because he was a bad influence on Max.
  • Although sympathetic to Veronica's teacher for how his relationship with her screwed him up, when he professes he doesn't want to go back to his wife and work things out with Veronica (who is young enough to be his daughter), Angie pretends to be caring before telling George to turn on the sprinklers to flush him out of their backyard.
  • She's not afraid to let her own family have it when they exploit her kindness, like with Carmen and Vic.
  • Even George, her own husband, isn't above being put in his place. When George intentionally rigged a contest for a trip against Benny to get back at her, Angie sided with Benny because she legitimately put in the effort and called out George for being petty.
• Fatal Flaw:
  • Her sensitivity. As hard as she tries to be a thoughtful, loving person, her sensitivity is a flaw. This can make her appear stubborn or unapologetic on occasions.
  • Another fatal flaw of hers would be her constant need to feel attractive. When she notices that her younger niece is getting all the attention, she works to feel more attractive and goes all out to feel young again.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Much more down-to-earth, competent, and less criminal than her siblings (one of whom is a con man).
• Hypocrite: She learns George lied about painting the mural that caused her to fall in love with him. Then George learns that she only asked him out as part of a cheerleader contest to see which girl could find the biggest loser to go to prom with, even saying George was her ticket to victory. Therefore meaning she lied first, which George calls her out on. Veers into Hypocritical Humor when they acknowledge their relationship is based on lies but George says they should be proud because they've created a loving family and great life together.
• Insufferable Genius: She zigzags between this and Know-Nothing Know-It-All. Though it's implied that she's usually right unless she lets her idealism get the better of her.
• Lethal Chef: If Benny is to be believed.
• Like an Old Married Couple: What she George are.
• Mama Bear: Really protective of her family. She goes "medieval" when Carmen is unfairly punished by her school after being bullied and forced into a physical fight by the girls who have long been tormenting her. She angrily storms into the school and demands justice for her daughter. Later, she almost chokes her brother with his tie because he was going to scam his daughter and run off with the money she had loaned him to start a business together.
• Ms. Fanservice: Especially in the later seasons, which is ironic considering there's an episode dedicated to her feeling insecure around the younger Veronica and dealing with getting older. She also provides plenty of Male Gaze. Even Veronica remarks how Angie is a gorgeous woman, even if she's older.
• Nice Girl: Angie is incredibly friendly and selfless. She's a loving mother and wife and is always willing to go out of her way to help others. Despite that, she can still be jealous and has flaws.
• Not So Above It All: Normally mature and sensible Angie isn't above being Deadpan Snarker or going with George's antics on occasion from time to time.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Angie is normally the Reasonable Authority Figure to George's cynicism. So any time she loses it tends to be pretty memorable and lets the targeted party know they've really screwed up.
• Parting-Words Regret: After her mother dies, Angie has a major freakout over learning George screwed up with the burial plots. Ernie suggests to George that there's a deeper reason for this and there is: in their last conversation, Angie ended up saying she never forgave her mother for cheating on Vic and calling her a selfish tramp.
• Proud Beauty: There's an episode towards the end of the series where she freaks out about losing her looks and admits she's always been vain and proud of her beauty. So the idea of losing her looks to aging is comically traumatic for her.
• Spoiled Sweet: Discussed. Vic laments that, after growing up with nothing, he gave his children everything and it destroyed his son's moral character. He outright calls it a miracle Angie didn't end up a Spoiled Brat too.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Yes, even Angie of all people has shown these moments occasionally. She's quite sensitive about her own mistakes and does get jealous. She can even be self-centered every once in a while and wants George to fix problems for her. These flaws don't make her unlikable, however.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Had some slight Alpha Bitch tendencies in high school flashbacks to her and George's teenage years. But she, the daughter of wealthy doctors, has adjusted to blue-collar life and is generally sweet to everyone - even her obnoxious mother-in-law.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: George isn't ugly but even he's surprised that a woman like Angie would end up with a lower-class guy like him. And it also gets lampshaded, with George proudly bragging about his beautiful wife and how he married "up".
• Uptown Girl: Angie was born into a wealthy family and would later marry blue-collared George. It was part of why her father didn't approve of the marriage at first.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: To the point of annoyance.

Benita "Benny" Diaz Lopez

" Who do I thank for dropping out of high school at 15 and working at a factory? Who do I thank for getting me pregnant at 17? Who do I thank for leaving me alone with a kid to raise? Who do I thank for feeling like I was 60 when I was 20? But thank God I know who to thank for my cushioned toilet seat!"

Played by: Belita Moreno

The snarky, alcoholic, and abusive mother of George.

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• Abusive Parents: Her parents were abusive to her, and she was to George. Turns out her parents were even worse to her and she actually was better to her son.
• The Alcoholic: Stated to be this and is occasionally shown drinking a beer on-screen.
• Ambiguously Human: Used as a Running Gag at her expense. People question if she's even human due to her physique.
• Animal Motif: Is often called a "bat" by George.
• Berserk Button: Do NOT call her a whore, even if she said she wasn't dating boys at 15 so much as having sex with them.
• Broken Bird: It's usually played for laughs, but there's no denying that Benny's had a rough life. She mentions at one point that things like her Teen Pregnancy, loveless marriage with Manny and being forced to drop out of school to work a dead end job at a factory left her "feeling like she was 68 when she was 25".
• Character Catchphrase: "Why you crying?!" is certainly thrown around enough to count. She also tends to shout "You know what" just before tearing into someone, physically or verbally. "Screw You!" is another one she's fond of.
• Comedic Sociopathy: Most of her horrendous behavior was Played for Laughs.
• Consummate Liar: She's told countless lies to George over the years, but the ones that stood out the most was that his father had supposedly died when he was younger.
• The Cynic: Though given her backstory, can you really blame her?
• Deadpan Snarker: Even worse than George.
• Dirty Old Woman: Flirts with many men and sleeps around a lot. Not to mention her creepily hitting on Jason (who's a teenager) and in one episode is implied to think Guy on Guy Is Hot.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Was wearing age makeup in the first several episodes and spoke with a heavy Chicano accent in the pilot.
• Emotionally Tongue-Tied: She has a pretty hard time expressing things like gratitude or love.
• Everyone Has Standards: Benny can be extremely mean at her worse, or playfully teasing at her best, but even she has enough class to take something seriously.
  • She gives genuine condolences to Angie when her mother passes away.
  • Despite her flaws as a parent, her hatred of Manny stems from him ditching George.
• Fake Boobs: In "George Discovers Benny's Sili-Con Job", Benny gets breast implants and naturally this gets Played for Laughs. It is revealed she just put rubber items from the surgeon into her bra.
• Fatal Flaw: Her not being able to move on from her past. She holds grudge because she grew up in a horrible, abusive family and was quickly abandoned by her then husband after he impregnated her.
• Freudian Excuse: She has a hard time showing compassion due to being abused by her parents and becoming a single parent at 17 years old.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: She's been dealt a bad hand in life, but many including George make it clear her shitty life doesn't excuse how poorly she treated George throughout his childhood or her overall meanness. When she admits she initially gave up George to another family because she feared she couldn't be a good parent due to her own parental abuse, George shuts her down:
  George: You're supposed to do better for your kids!
• Grandparent Favoritism: While she isn't nice to Carmen and Max per se, she does treat them nicer than she did George as a kid.
• Hated by All: Her family barely tolerates her, and the rest of the community want her gone. When her house burnt down, nobody was willing to pitch in to help her get a new home, instead sending notes like "You deserved it..." "You had it coming..." and "What the hell does God have to do to finish you off?" The last one, saying "I hope you build a new house... But this time the windows are painted shut so you're trapped inside and you burn alive like the wicked witch you are" was even a petition.
• Hates Being Touched: A recurring gag in the series is her refusal to hug people, but it's less funny when you realize that withholding affection screws up your children.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: Despite the two constantly snarking at each other, a few episodes go out of their way to prove that she genuinely does care for George (and vice versa), and the rest of her family. This is most prominent when George was in a dire financial situation, and she went out of her way to contact Manny for the first time in years to get him some money. The show makes the point that when it comes to Benny and Manny, in the end, Benny was the better parent because she was actually present in his life.
• Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Responsible for George's and is implied to have been treated even worse by her own parents.
• Hypocrite:
  • Benny will gleefully insult everyone around her but Lord forbid anyone insult her back. One example of such hypocrisy that she admitted to being in a pool about George finishing high school, which she ended up losing a fortune on. She is shocked and angered over her co-workers and boss betting in.
  • In the first episode of the series, Benny mocks George for feeling conflicted over having to terminate an employee so the company can save money. When George picks her as the employee to be terminated, she is angry at him despite her not only mocking George for not being ruthless enough to do such a thing but also being a very lousy worker herself.
  • She often calls George and Angie bad parents when she was an abusive, neglectful mother to George, who has no end of stories about how awful she was.
• It Amused Me: Her Manipulative Bitch tendencies (among other behaviors) typically stem from this.
• I Was Quite a Looker: Flashbacks of George as an infant show she was quite attractive in her younger days.
• Jerkass: Cynical, abusive, and utterly insensitive. She fits this trope like a T and much of the show's humor revolves around her being rightfully insulted and suffering her awful behavior.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Benny bluntly states how George favors Max over Carmen, something that both the latter and Angie noticed as well.
  • While Benny may have been in the wrong for slapping Max, in her defense, the kid told her to "take [her] tired ass home." You do not say something like that to an elder, let alone your own grandmother.
  • One episode has Benny losing a work contest that has a trip to Reno as a prize and she accuses George of rigging the results. She's proven right when George comes up with increasingly lackluster reasons for why she lost before admitting that he cost her the trip as payback for her bad parenting. Even Angie took Benny side, seeing that she legitimately earned the trip and calls out George for letting his personal feelings dictate his decision, something both shocked George and Benny.
  • In one episode, she sneaks Carmen birth control pills behind George and Angie's back. While she does pass the buck on Vic for telling her about the free clinic where she could get them, she makes a point that Carmen will have sex with or without her parents' permission, and she might as well do it with protection. While George throws her (and Vic) out, Angie does concede that they are right.
  • When George refuses to allow Benny to drive his car on the sole reason because Benny wouldn't let him drive her car when he was a teen. Benny rightfully called out George for his childish behavior, since if George wrecked the car, they would have been screwed, and Benny unconsciously admit she didn't want to get a phone call dead at night saying George died in a car accident like another boy in the neighborhood at the time.
  • She lied to George about Manny being dead, but she did it because she felt George would be better off not knowing him. While this does make her look justifiably in the wrong, she technically is in the right too, Manny never made an attempt to stay in George's life, much less try to make up for it, despite becoming a wealthy man, he had no excuse other than he simply did not want to. In the end, she turns out to be right: Manny's last act was to bar George from his funeral just so his reputation wouldn't suffer. George admits to Benny she was right...but Benny admits she wish she wasn't.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She actually does love George deep down. As awful as she made his childhood, it turns out hers was even worse. When she originally gave up both Linda and George at first, it turns out she wanted both of them to have a happy life with a loving family who told them to hug and love them every day as if they really were their own, which she didn't believe she could give them due to her own horrible upbringing.
• Mama Bear: More to her grandchildren than her actual son, though a noteworthy case would be the "Carmen runs away" arc; she calls out the police for not doing enough to search for Carmen and later beats up Zack Powers (who convinced Carmen to run away in the first place).
• Manipulative Bitch: Successfully pulls off an impressive amount of Batman Gambits throughout the series.
• Morality Pet: Her boyfriend Randy in later episodes. After he disappears later on, he's replaced by an old flame of hers, Wayne.
• Never Mess with Granny: She once kicked a guy in the crotch for mocking her relationship with Randy. In another episode, George mentions he once saw her wrestle two police officers to the ground with a taser dart in her neck.
• No Sympathy: She may ask "Why you crying?", but that certainly doesn't mean she gives a damn.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: To Angie. One of the reasons Angie welcomes Linda to the family is so she can have someone to acts as a buffer between her and Benny.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After her mother throws a particularly nasty "The Reason You Suck" Speech at her, the normally belligerent to the end Benny just sort of...shuts down and doesn't even try to argue with her any further. This is what convinces George to defend her in court.
• Parents as People: She was a lousy mom and a terrible person to George, but she was abandoned by her husband and by her parents, who were downright heartless toward her and turned to substance abuse to cope. And she did have moment where she tried to be a parent.
• Really Gets Around: She doesn't have an official boyfriend until late in the series, and even that doesn't last.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Some episodes imply that Benny hasn't been fired from her job because of George covering for her.
• Shotgun Wedding: Deconstructed with her and Manny, who only got married because he got her pregnant and they both clearly despised each other. Benny admits to using a knife on him, and he eventually got fed up and left her.
• So Proud of You: In the first episode, Benny straight up says this to George for having the guts to fire her, his own mother. She even states she barely ever says this to him, if at all.
• Teen Pregnancy: She became pregnant with George when she was 17.
• Troubled Abuser: She was abused by her parents and ended up doing the same to George (though it's implied that Benny's parents were far worse than Benny herself was to George.)
• Tsundere: A heavy type A. She DOES love her family, but you could probably count the amount of times she comes around to admitting it on a single hand.
• Ungrateful Bitch:
  • In season 2, George remodels Benny's bathroom free of charge and even throws in some custom stuff. All she does is complain about it being excessive and he rightly calls her out for her ingratitude. Although she does admit she was wrong and explains why she had trouble showing gratitude.
  • In season 5, Benny's house burns down and George allows her to move into his home. Despite this kind gesture, Benny still continues to insult him and mess with his work.
• Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: On most occasions.
• Villain Protagonist: At her worst.
• Would Hurt a Child: Slaps Max for talking down to her, and it's heavily implied that she's done much worse to George. However, with Max, she does apologize to him (by giving him $20) and explaining that it was how she was taught to discipline.

Carmen Consuelo Lopez

"The mannequin represents my spirit trying to get out of a spiritual prison."

Played by: Masiela Lusha

George and Angie's melodramatic daughter.

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• Bratty Teenage Daughter: She wasn't initially, but she eventually degenerated into this.
• Buxom Beauty Standard: Masiela Lusha's breasts grew significantly larger between the first and second seasons and a plot point for one episode was George freaking out over the fact that his daughter is growing up and starting to attract attention from the boys.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: When she tries to be poetic and deep, her poems just sound overly dramatic and theatrical.
• Daddy's Girl: Subverted. George, like many fathers, is extremely protective of his "little girl". There are times when they really can't stand each other, but when push comes to shove they really do love each other. When they have a sweet moment, it is really genuine.
• Dead Guy Junior: Her middle name was taken from Angie's dead grandmother.
• Department of Redundancy Department: The quote under her image: "The mannequin represents my spirit trying to get out of a spiritual prison."
• Drama Queen: There is no such thing as small problems when it comes to Carmen. One reason why George has a hard time dealing with her is he can't tell the difference between "teenage drama" and a genuine issue for her.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Despite the troubles she went throughout the series, Carmen got accepted to college.
• Everyone Has Standards: When Piper takes to posting mean comments online about one of her friends, she objects to it and winds up ending their friendship.
• Fatal Flaw: Her lack of self-esteem and constant need for male attention and approval is an obvious flaw of hers. This problem is quite typical for teenage girls, so she goes through a lot of situations they go through.
• Horrible Judge of Character: She easily falls for Zack Powers' Broken Bird act when it's obvious to everyone (but her) that Zack's a lowlife who only wants her for sex. She even defends that they're "in love" and her parents simply want to keep them apart. This escalates to her running away with him, where she eventually realizes her parents were right when he dumps her after she refuses to have sex. Aside from that, all of her on-screen relationships end in failure because she just can't understand how relationships properly work.
• It's All About Me: Doesn't seem to care about anyone else's problems if she deems her own problem to be bigger (which is most of the time), even when it actually isn't.
  • In one example, Max desperately needed help with his math class in order to pass and Jason (Carmen's ex-boyfriend she just broke up with) was the only one who could help him. George was willing to pay him to privately tutor Max at the house, but Carmen didn't want Jason there due to their breakup. She then deliberately provokes him into calling off the tutoring to get him to leave. George and Angie get mad at Carmen for doing this, but she insists that no one cared about her feelings and were only focused on Max and his needs. In the end, she and Jason work things out and he resumes tutoring Max, but she was still being quite selfish.
• Jerkass: Crosses this line towards her father and brother often.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Selfishness and angst aside, she really isn't that unpleasant a person.
• Out of Focus: Carmen was prominent during the first 4 seasons, but had less major after the first couple episodes of Season 5. It wasn't until the finale of that season she gets more attention as she tries to apply for college.
• Put on a Bus: Before the last season, she went to college and is never seen again due to a case of Real Life Writes the Plot, as Masiella Lusha wanted to go to college.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: Carmen went off to college for the final season as her actress Masiella Lusha wanted to leave the show to go college as well. The last we see of her is her opening her final college admission letter and learning she got accepted.
• Slut-Shaming: A boy she broke up with told their classmates they had sex, leading to her being bullied relentlessly for being a "whore." It got so bad, she had to leave public school as boys began sexually harassing her.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Carmen was mouthy from the start, but she still means well. However, thanks to Piper Morley telling everyone at her old school that she was a slut, Carmen started becoming more rebellious and have self-esteem issues from the outcome.

Maximilian Victor Roberto Magic Johnson "Max" Lopez

"I wasn't ready for my math test. I wasn't getting the problems, Dad tried to help me but, I don't have that kind of time."

Played by: Luis Armand Garcia

George and Angie's dyslexic son.

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• Bully Magnet: This is invoked by George and Carmen in one episode when they try to deal with Max constantly being beaten up at school. George believes it's because Angie teaches him that "bullies are friends who don't know how special you are", which George justifiably believes is guaranteed to get one's ass kicked if spoken out loud. Carmen is convinced it's because Angie still buys him nerdy clothes instead of the latest trends.
• Cheerful Child: Before he hit puberty that is.
• The Cutie: During the first two seasons.
• Depending on the Writer: He differs on a scale of cloudcuckoolander to surprisingly clever depending on the episode.
• Did You Think I Can't Feel?: He takes George's comments about his stupidity to heart.
• Dirty Kid: Tries to peep at one of Carmen's friends through a hole he'd drilled into the wall. Rather than punish Max, George lets him off and punishes Carmen for spraying him in the eye with perfume
• Disposable Love Interest: He receives a girlfriend named Kristi in one episode, but after she serves her purpose of setting up the story about Max's kidney issues, she's never mentioned again.
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: An Informed Attribute, when his hair was long, it became a Running Gag for strangers to mistake him for a girl and for cross-dressing jokes to make at his expense.
• Dumbass Teenage Son: Played up in later seasons.
• I'll Be in My Bunk: Like father like son, you could say. He was seen with one of Angie's magazines and used a totally unconvincing lie, saying it was for a social studies project about how women are objectified in today's culture. After he puts it down he slyly tells it "I'll see you in the recycling bin later."
• Kissing Cousins: Is hopelessly attracted to Veronica, who's his first cousin. George bluntly tells him that his crush is disturbing because of the biological relationship. Thankfully, Veronica does not return his affection and simply blows it off.
• "L" Is for "Dyslexia": His dyslexia was portrayed fairly accurately early on. In later seasons, however, this is zigzagged. The accuracy is thrown out the window in favor of jokes implying that "dyslexia" is synonymous with "stupid." The accuracy returns when the dyslexia is treated as Serious Business.
• Misery Builds Character: Subverted in "George Thinks Max's Future is on the Line" when he starts working at the factory. George wants him to learn how hard it is to make $1,000 to pay back some credit card debt. However, while Max hated the idea going in and acknowledges it isn't easy earning money, he actually enjoys working at the factory—proving more productive than the other employees and wanting to quit school to work there full-time.
• Nice Guy: Max started off the series as a really sweet and innocent kid. As he got older, he went through typical teenage boy things but he remained a well-meaning guy.
• Overly Long Name: His full name is "Maximilian Victor Roberto Magic Johnson Lopez" because George and Angie couldn't decide what to name him.
• Parental Favoritism: George clearly favors Max over Carmen, even though the two become snarky towards one another in the last season.
  • George doesn't actually love Max more, he just finds him easier to deal with as he isn't as dramatic as Carmen.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: His IQ seemed to go down as the seasons passed and many characters attributed that to his dyslexia. This is despite the fact that the episode in which he was diagnosed explicitly stated that dyslexia "has nothing to do with intelligence". It may very well be justified though as he had a habit of running into the screen door, plus he was known to hang out with guys like the older skateboarders.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: He inherits his father's sarcastic streak in the later seasons as he gets older.
  • Also in "Why You Crying?" He gets more obnoxious to his teacher, his parents, and Benny (the last of which gets him slapped in the face). His behavior is responded to as O.O.C. Is Serious Business. He explains he's been carrying on like this is because he's at risk of being held back in school and is struggling with the pressure to do better.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Max was an adorable and sweet little kid in the earlier seasons. He Took a Level in Jerkass and became a very mouthy, cocky kid who didn't care about school. He got better afterward. At his worst, he's a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.

Ernesto "Ernie" Cardenas

"Alright, who here has a hot single mom?"

Played by: Valente Rodriguez

George's best friend since the second grade.

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• Abhorrent Admirer: Is this towards Angie from time to time. He once spent several months following her, leaving notes at her car, camping outside her home, all after she had married. George even had to threaten Ernie that his continued actions would get him arrested. Angie mentions that it was a really uncomfortable summer.
• Basement-Dweller: Lived with his parents until finally moving into his own apartment in the final season. It’s shown it’s partly out of guilt and a desire to help take care of his mother, who is so morbidly obese that she can’t take care of herself. While Ernie is doing good by helping his mother, George points out her condition is not his responsibility and that nurses should be called in to help deal with such a severe situation.
• Big Eater: Downplayed. Despite his size he's never really shown eating much more than the other characters. Most prominently in "Ernie sees the Cellu-Light", however, he's shown to become a constant visitor to the vending machines, and is shown with a table full of food at Thirsty's.
• Butt-Monkey: Everyone makes jokes at his expense, even Angie and Max.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Typically when associating with women.
• Cannot Talk to Women: He’s horrible at talking to women, and it only gets worse as the series goes on and he keeps failing and losing more and more of his confidence.
• Character Catchphrase:
  • "Gol-ly!"
  • "Accident Amy! Breaking bones, and breaking hearts."
• Classical Anti-Hero: Ernie is a pretty decent guy, he just suffers from loneliness, a lack of confidence, and being obsessed with trying to get girls out of his league.
• Dogged Nice Guy: The reason why he can't get a woman.
• Fat Comic Relief: He's overweight and a source of much of the show's comic relief by virtue of being the snarky George's sidekick and best friend. It gets deconstructed later on, particularly "Ernie Sees the Cellu-Light" when it's revealed he's been overeating to spare himself the pain of further rejection, or when he ultimately gives up on dating for good due to too many rejections.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With George.
• Hopeless Suitor: In the final season, when he's turned down by a woman for the millionth time (by a woman who's fatter than him no less), he decides to outright give up on women for good.
• Informed Deformity: His big ears are the subject of many jokes about him, even though they're perfectly normal sized for all intents and purposes. He's also frequently the butt of fat jokes, and while he is overweight, he's not the monstrously obese individual the jokes often make him out to be (you're thinking of his mother, mind you).
• The Lancer: Usually to George in all their misadventures, though Benny is a more pragmatic example of this trope (as shown when she immediately removes Carmen from protesting George Bush.)
• Nice Guy: Ernie may be a loser with women but he is a real sweetheart and a loyal friend. He was even willing to adopt Ricky just to give him a home. He has always had problems with money but is more than happy to give George's family $3000 to help rebuilt their garage after it burned down.
• No Social Skills: Especially when it comes to women.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: The real George Lopez said Ernie is named after and based on his real childhood best friend.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: Ernie knew for years that Angie had asked George to prom as part of a cheerleader contest to see who could find the biggest loser. He said he found out because the girl who had asked him to prom ended up feeling really guilty about the whole thing and confessed. Ernie kept all this to himself because George and Angie ended up becoming a couple, and he didn't want to wreck that. He only revealed the truth when Angie was reading George the riot act for lying about painting the mural.
• Self-Fulfilling Prophylactic: By the episode "Ernie Sees The Cellu-Light", Ernie has packed on enough weight to comfortably wear jeans that his morbidly obese mother wore at one point. Angie realizes that when he moved out of his parents' house and still found no luck with women, he intentionally overate so that women wouldn't find him attractive from the get-go and he'd have an excuse to keep eating. When his weight causes an incident at work, the Powers Bros. order him to lose weight or lose his job. George has to show him that he's on his way to his mother's size to scare him straight. George being George, however, mishears it as a “self-fulfilling prophylactic.”
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The sweet sensitive guy to George's more prideful manly man. With that said, Ernie still has George's interests in sports, cars, manly man things rather than typical sensitive guy things.
• Straw Loser: He's an overweight Basement-Dweller who can't get a woman to save his life.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: He and George have been best friends since they were kids, but that doesn't stop George from insulting him or playing pranks, often causing him pain.

Victor Garcia Lantigua "Vic" Palmero

"I would rather listen to Black Sabbath than have a myocardial infarction."

Played by: Emiliano Díez

The father of Angie. A cardiologist.

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• Always Someone Better: One of the few reasons George doesn't like Vic is because he had a more successful life prior to the divorce and thinks that he's a better father.
• Ascended Extra: Started out as a recurring character in Season 2, he eventually becomes a main cast member and even moves into the Lopez family home for a time.
• Berserk Button:
  • Does not like to be used. He and George got into a Real Life version of a Flame War over $50 that the latter won in a poker game. He later revealed that he was lashing out because of Emelina, his wife who had cheated on him, left him and took most of his stuff.
  • Don't mention Fidel Castro around him, especially if it's favorable. He implied that he'd be willing to punch Max in the face over it.
• Broken Record: You could probably count on one hand the number of episodes he didn't mention Castro and/or his escape from Cuba in.
• Character Catchphrase: "Oye Chico!"
• Cool Old Guy: Arguably the most well-adjusted adult on the show despite being the oldest. But he is not without quirks.
• Dirty Old Man: He gets engaged to a 27-year-old Gold Digger after only a few dates. He has also kissed Benny, flirted with Laila Ali despite being a married woman (he did not know this since she wasn't wearing a ring) and dated George's sister, Linda. His reaction to Benny getting false breast implants seals the deal.
  Vic: I am looking at them as a doctor.
  Benny: (slyly) And what is the good doctor's opinion?
  Vic: Oh they're YUMMY!
  Angie: (horrified) DADDY!
  Vic: I'm older now, and I know what I like. And I like!
• Doting Parent: He admits to spoiling his kids rotten which caused them severe problems into adulthood.
• Fatal Flaw: His Pride and strive for manliness rivals George.
• Foil: To Manny. Both are successful in their chosen professions and have complicated relationships with George, but Vic is a dependable dad to his children and has always been around to help during a crisis, whereas Manny left when things got tough and stayed gone. It's for this reason George takes money from Vic instead of Manny to pay for what happened to the garage.
• Funny Foreigner: The only character who was not born in America, and many jokes about his accent and culture are made.
• Gag Haircut: Dyes his hair and mustache black while dating Linda. George compares this look to "Super Mario", since he was also wearing a red shirt.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He doesn't get along with George at times and can be very critical of others but he clearly loves his family and supports them.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Vic was pretty harsh with his Obnoxious In-Laws behavior to George in the earlier parts of the show. His wife winds up cheating on him, leading to a divorce which they never reconcile because of her death. Any future romantic pursuits fall apart for him. His own daughter-in-law takes a posthumous swing at him, tricking him into thinking he would be Veronica's trustee, and then giving the trusteeship to George. And he's forced to recognize that the man he's been bitterly deriding for years is ultimately a better husband and father than Vic himself was able to be, though he does eventually accept it in good grace.
• Like a Son to Me: Despite a rocky start, George becomes this to him in later seasons, especially since his own son, Ray, grew up to become a con artist. It comes to a point where George actually calls Vic "dad". It became even more poignant in the end when Vic decides to give George a family heirloom, a pocketknife his father gave him, since he was going to give it to Ray, but George has more than earned it.
• My Greatest Failure: Since he grew up poor, he made a point of spoiling his children. While Angie turned out fine, his other children turned out horribly (especially Ray). He tells George this when imploring him to not give up on Veronica.
• Noodle Incident: He apparently opened a Cuban restaurant at one point and it failed miserably.
• Not So Above It All: Despite being a professional doctor and knowing they are unhealthy, Vic can't deny that burgers are delicious.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: To George. Though their relationship is shown to improve somewhat later on.
• Parental Favoritism: It's implied he was far more supportive of Angie's sister's marriage than he was of Angie's, in large part because he approved of her husband more than he did George. It's quite obvious that his son Ray is his least favorite child though because the man is a Slimeball Con Man.
• Rags to Riches: Escaped poverty and became a wealthy cardiologist in America.
• Running Gag:
  • In his debut episode, he had a habit of calling heart attacks by their technical name "myocardial infarction".
  • His heavy Cuban accent, which is made fun of by others quite often, especially George.
  • In "The Kidney Stays in the Picture" George keeps getting tired of his stories so he asks him to skip to the last line of the story, which are typically Brick Jokes, in addition to Noodle Incidents about having sex with girls in exchange for chickens.
  Vic: My father paid the girl with a chicken.
  
  (at the end of a different story) Well the chicken lived, but the girl had to wear an eye patch for the rest of her life.
  
  (and the end of yet another story)And it turns out it was the exact same chicken.
  
• Took a Level in Kindness: His Obnoxious In-Laws behavior was rather bitter at the start. Following his divorce and moving closer to the family he dialed back a lot of his vitriol towards George.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Benny.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Develops this relationship with George. While they still throw shade at one another, they come to care for each other like family, which is definitely a step up from their previous relationship.

Veronica Palmero

"I'm rich! And I have chips".

Played by: Aimee Garcia

George's wealthy niece.

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• Advertised Extra: Since she returned in Season 6, Veronica was added in the show's opening making it look like she'll be a major character. But aside her return episode, Veronica doesn't have any major episodes and just shows up.
• Alpha Bitch: Has the personality of a ditzy and spoiled party girl despite being an adult, she gets better though.
• Brainless Beauty: Got through school by using her looks and teasing. Doesn't work out as well when she becomes an adult as she is expected to do more than tease.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Briefly when she gets stoned in her debut episode.
• Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To her cousin Carmen. Unlike Carmen who is middle class and is regarded as a smart student, Veronica is very rich but not very smart.
• Cousin Oliver: Was brought in to replace the departing Carmen. Subverted in that she debuted several episodes before Carmen left the series.
• Disappeared Dad: Ray had been out of the picture for sometime.
• Dude Magnet: One of her defining characteristics. With an instance or two of Even the Girls Want Her tossed in for good measure.
• Entitled Bitch: Probably a reason why her mother didn't want to give her millions of dollars right away.
• Even the Girls Want Her: In her debut episode, she goes looking for a job at the mall. Two boutique managers hit on her and one of them is girl.
• Femme Fatale: Is not above using her looks to get attention from men. And women if they swing that way.
• Freudian Excuse: Growing up in the lap of luxury and having a con artist for a father could only end with her being spoiled.
• Hidden Depths: She is very adept at poker.
• Manipulative Bitch: And HOW! Thankfully, it very often blows up in her face.
• Missing Mom: Her mom dies in her debut episode, setting off her story arc.
• Out-Gambitted: When Veronica tries to get her inheritance by manipulating his boss using her usual tricks, George rightfully points out that since she is an adult now, her teasing will mean she will have to have sex with his boss to keep it up. This causes her to stop and be more responsible.
• Out of Focus: Oddly, after she moves into the Lopez house she receives very little screen time and mostly serves as a one-scene wonder who isn't the central focus of any episodes. She's also inexplicably absent from the series finale.
• Rich Bitch: Comes from a wealthy family and inherited money from her deceased mother, though George is the actual trustee and refuses to give it to her until he thinks she can handle it.
• Spoiled Brat: More so than Carmen.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Once she permanently takes over for Carmen, she is much more respectful and mature. Especially after George demonstrated that he could beat her at her own game.
• Ungrateful Bitch: Her response to George providing her with a job at Powers Brother's Aviation was to manipulate his boss in an attempt to receive her Passed-Over Inheritance early. Thankfully, she is Out-Gambitted.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Vic cites this trope as reason to not give up on her in her debut episode.

Recurring Characters

Linda Lorenzo

Played by: Lisa Guerrero (first appearance); Eva LaRue (subsequent appearances)

George's younger sister whom Benny gave away to her neighbors.

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• Ambiguously Brown: Her adoptive parents were Italian and she definitely looked the part. Though she does mention that she's often "mistaken" for being Latina.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She only appeared in three episodes and was mentioned once in passing afterwards when George met Benny's mother. Though considering what happened in her final appearance, her departure was probably justified.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: A mother example. The reason she was given away is because Benny was unable to afford taking care of a second child after Manny left.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Responsible to George's foolish. She's a college graduate and a superintendent of Max's school district.
• Happily Adopted: She never knew she was adopted until George told her and she was crushed when the news broke. Though she eventually comes to accept her biological family (mostly George).
• Long-Lost Relative: Didn't meet her mother or brother until she was in her thirties.
• May–December Romance: She dates Vic in "George's Relatively Bad Idea", which was her final appearance in the series. She calls it off after discovering that he had previously kissed Benny.
• Parental Favoritism: Despite only knowing each other for a short period, Benny clearly prefers her to George. She even said that she should have kept Linda and given George away because Linda is far more intelligent and successful. George points out to her that this is because her adoptive parents actually took care for her, rather than neglecting her like Benny did to him.
  Benny: I realize I made a huge mistake. I should have taken her. She's smart, successful, hell of a woman.
  George: Of course she turned out okay, she was raised by people.
• Shared Family Quirks: She's dyslexic like George and Max.
• Statuesque Stunner: She's about the same height as George and is very attractive.

Manny Lopez

Played by: William Marquez

George's father. Left him when he was a young child and founded a construction company called Lopez Construction.

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• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Tries to invoke this by claiming that he left because he could no longer get along with Benny and believed that both of them would be better off without him, when in reality, he was just fed up with Benny and left so he could start over.
• Death Equals Redemption: Harshly averted. He leaves George with a memento in the form of a watch...but asks him and Benny to not attend his funeral in order to preserve his reputation to those he actually considered family and friends. Any improvement in the relationship he had with his son and ex-wife is immediately thrown out the window, and George and Benny likely will never forgive him.
• Doting Parent: He spoiled his second son, before finally cutting him off for good after being fed up with his irresponsibility.
• Dirty Coward: Instead of trying to deal with his marital problems with Benny, or openly tell her the marriage wasn't working out, he basically ran away from her. He was this even from beyond the grave, telling George not to go his funeral because he didn't want people to know he abandoned his family.
• Disappeared Dad: Obviously.
• First-Name Basis: George always calls Manny by his first name, even when they start becoming more friendly with each other.
• From Bad to Worse: Him walking out on George created or exemplified many problems that the Lopez family face. George had a miserable, abusive childhood, never did well in school due to dyslexia that went undiagnosed until adulthood. Benny began to exhibit self-destructive behavior as her alcoholism only became worse. Because Benny couldn't afford to raise two children, she was forced to give George's sister Linda up for adoption, and they would not learn of this until adulthood. The first few seasons unravel a whole web of secrets and lies by Benny, all created because of Manny leaving George.
• In the Blood: He had bad kidneys, which ran into his son and grandson.
• It's All About Me: His general attitude towards Benny and George (though more towards Benny than George) amounts to this. It's clear he didn't give a shit about what happened to them after he walked out on them; all that mattered to him was starting over for him. And even when George calls him out on this years later, he has the gall to say to his son's face that it worked out well for him.
• Jerkass: After his death, he requested that George didn't attend his funeral due to fear of ruining his reputation.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
  • All he gave George was a watch that belonged to his father. It sounds bad at first, but Benny mentions that it was worth a fortune when they were married, which means the value only went up. This means that George would have had all his financial problems fixed if he hadn't destroyed it.
  • For what it's worth, he was pretty magnanimous toward his second family in Phoenix. Although in the case of his second son, he may have been too magnanimous.
• Karma Houdini: After abandoning a wife and child... his life became an unparalleled success. He has this enforced posthumously, ordering George not to go to his funeral.
• Killed Off for Real: Just as he and George were finally burying the hatchet, he passed away from kidney failure.
• Parental Abandonment: Left George and Benny shortly after Linda's conception.
• Rags to Riches: Eventually became a millionaire after his construction company took off. Though it didn't happen overnight.
  Lydia: It took a long time for Manny to build up his company. He didn't have any money to give until George was already grown.^note Explaining to Benny why Manny never provided any child support
• What the Hell, Hero?: See Jerkass above.

Jason Mcnamara

Played by: Bryan Fisher

Carmen's on and off boyfriend. Lives with the Lopez family for a bit.

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• The Ace:
  George: Are you sure you can be here? The super popular kids might see you! You could lose your reputation! And have to eat lunch with...the debate team!
  Jason: I'm captain of the debate team.
• All Take and No Give: He's the taker in his relationship with Carmen, who supports his dreams, forgives his mess ups, and convinced her parents to take him in. For Jason himself, Jason hardly put in the effort - when they began their romance; he was embarrassed to be seen with her; he became angry and moody towards her after taking steroids; he then cheated on her despite all of the acts she did; and when she did forgive him for his infeditliy, he gets colde feet in their marriage and cowardly abandoned her to go to school instead of properly discussing their different mindsets.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Zigzagged. Jason does have some genuine moments of being kind but he often does horrible acts while trying to still be seen as a nice person.
• Broken Ace: Jason is a Hunky Chick Magnet, talented football player, and even gets straight A's. And while he came off as a straight example of The Ace, he turns out to be this trope. He comes from a neglectful home life, he took steroids at one point to please his father, and is a emotionally abusive boyfriend to Carmen.
• Chick Magnet: Besides Carmen, many girls swoon over him.
• Face–Heel Turn: Has one when he cheats on Carmen, but eventually he ends up back in the Lopez's good graces.
• Freudian Excuse: Part of the reason George agrees to let him move in is because his parents don't care about him. They're more obsessed with seeing him successful so much so that they have him take steroids.
• Hunk: Jason is tall, muscular, and has a killer smile. No wonder he's a Chick Magnet.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Jason has done some reprehensible actions but he makes a good point when he reveals it was his wheelchair bound brother who leaked Angie's wet, white t-shirt online — Even though he's in a wheelchair, he still needs to be told off when he does something wrong.
• Jerk Jock: A zigzagged example. While he first comes across as a Lovable Jock, his constant disrespect and emotional cruelty to Carmen put him as a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Jason makes some questionable choices but ultimately proves to have a heart...until he cheats on Carmen and after she forgives him, he then breaks up with her in a cruel manner when he doesn't want to marry her.
• Lonely Rich Kid: His parents practically abandoned him and were poor role models anyway.
• Mr. Fanservice: His good looks are a borderline Running Gag and at one point Carmen tried to use a picture of him shirtless to win a school election.
• Put on a Bus: Carmen wants to marry him and have a baby, which he wants no part of, so he ends their relationship once and for all and isn't seen again. ^note Since Carmen was getting written off the show at the end of the season, it made sense to get him off first since there would be nothing for him to do without Carmen (see Satellite Love Interest below).
• Relationship Revolving Door: He cheats on Carmen, but they make up and get back together.
• Reluctant Fanservice Guy: Carmen tries to use shirtless pictures of him to win a school election, something he's clearly embarrassed about.
• Rich Bastard: Zigzagged. He's from a wealthy family and while he can give Pet the Dog moments he's also shown to do Kick the Dog moments as well.
• Satellite Love Interest: One of two, the other being Randy for Benny.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In his last appearance, he decides to ditch Carmen to get out of his promise to marry her.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Cheating on the girl who convinced her parents to care for him was a horrible move. And then when said girl forgives his transgression, he then up and ditches her to get out of his marriage proposal instead of talking to her about it.
• Uptown Guy: A subversion. Jason comes from a significantly wealthier family than Carmen's and while they did have plans for marriage, he ultimately ditches her to get out of it.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Jason is willing to take illegal steroids to please he emotionally distant and abusive father.

Emilina Palmero

Played by: Sonia Braga

Vic's ex-wife and Angie's mom.

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• Jerkass: Her sole onscreen appearance revolved around her treating George like crap. She also cheated on her husband for no real reason.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While the above is true, Emilina did love her daughter and she was in the midst of reconciling with her ex-husband before her death.
• Heel–Face Door-Slam: Vic and Emilina were in the process of reconciliation before her death. She also died before she and her daughter Angie could repair their relationship.
• Karmic Death: Cheats on her husband Vic who was a Cardiologist. She later dies from a heart attack.
• Killed Off for Real: Dies off-screen of a heart attack in "George's Grave Mistake Sends Him to a Funeral, Holmes" and her death is the focal point of the episode.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Angie confessed that she never forgave Emilina for cheating on Vic.
• Pretty in Mink: She showed off her wealth with a fur coat she wore for her one appearance. She almost bought Carmen a fur when Christmas shopping.
• She Who Must Not Be Seen: Only appears in one episode, "Meet the Cuban Parents." Since that episode is rarely shown in reruns (it's a Christmas Episode and Nickelodeon usually only airs holiday-themed episodes during holiday seasons) she might come across as The Ghost to modern viewers. Max lampshades this, admitting that he doesn't feel much sorrow over Emilina's death because she wasn't a big part of his life.
• Silver Vixen: Considering her lover was a younger man, this trope must apply.
• Sympathetic Adulterer: Vic believes that Emilina cheated on him due to feeling neglected. That said he is still shown as incredibly bitter over her actions.

Jack and Mel Powers

Played by: Jack Blessing and Mark Tymchyshyn

George's money-grubbing bosses.

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• Mean Bosses
  George: We need a new dental plan. It'll cost a little more, but the workers deserve it.
  Powers: All I heard was, "Cost a little more," then a bunch of whistles and sirens.
• Reasonable Authority Figures: Despite being corrupt jerkasses, as stated above, they sincerely respect George and are always willing to listen to his ideas even if they won't agree with them and are sincerely apologetic whenever he tells them that they've offended him in some way. They've even helped him with some family problems, such as planning his vow renewal, ordering Zack to tell the truth about what happened to Carmen, and teaching Max not to lie and the value of hard work. Of course, that doesn't mean they forgive George for going behind their backs and made it a point to tell his family exactly what his punishment was.
• Dirty Old Man: Mel when Veronica flirts with him to make George's life miserable. George convinces him he made them reservations at a nice hotel and Mel went off to get "magic pills".

Gina Sorenstam

Played by: Elmarie Wendel

A promiscuous employee at Powers Brothers Aviation.

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• Abhorrent Admirer: To George.
• Ambiguously Bi: "You don't need a man to have sex."
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Averted. Interestingly, she's actually the only character you'd expect to fall victim who doesn't.
• Dirty Old Woman: Even more so than Benny.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Very clearly sees herself as more enticing and sexually appealing than she is.

"Accident" Amy Kirkland

Played by: Sandra Bullock

A Powers Brothers Aviation employee who is always getting injured.

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• Face–Heel Turn: See What the Hell, Hero? below.
• Generation Xerox: In one episode, she has a daughter who is just as accident prone as she is.
• The Klutz: She's very clumsy, hence why peopl call her "Accident Amy".
• Phrase Catcher: When Ernie sees her, he always exclaims "Accident Amy! Breaking bones and breaking hearts."
• Plucky Comic Relief: Primarily acts as this up until her last appearance.
• Put on a Bus: After her last appearance, Amy suddenly left the show.
• Running Gag: Her repeated injuries.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Her last appearance is telling Randy, her old boyfriend, to break up Benny. This was during the bachelor party. George and especially Benny read her the riot act.

Zack Powers

Played by: Trevor Wright

The rebellious son of Mel Powers.

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• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Why Carmen falls for him, because she imagines him as a nice boy deep down who cares about her problems. In reality, he's a sleazy bastard who uses Carmen's self-esteem issues against her, bullies her into running away with him to San Francisco, plans to get her soused in order to screw her, and ditches her in San Francisco when she refuses his advances.
• Dirty Coward: Despite Zack's smug bravado towards George, he's very quick to retreat as soon as he poses an actual threat. Ironic, given that he once hit a (possibly defenseless) teacher while in school.
  • When George goes upstairs to Carmen's room to talk about Noah (her cover boyfriend) being gay, Zack hides in her closet. George says her boyfriend is in the closet, after which Zack starts to come out of hiding with dignity...only to retreat once he realizes that George means "in the closet" figuratively.
  • After gloating to George about how he'll ditch Carmen right after screwing her, he quickly bolts out of the restaurant with Ernie holding the former back from kicking his ass.
  • After returning home from San Francisco without Carmen, he gets easily spooked by George's threats of beating him into a coma while he's locked up and then quickly runs out of the factory, only for Benny to immediately beat him up with a wrench right around the corner.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: It's implied that he got the principal's daughter pregnant on purpose without her consent (and probably would've done it to Carmen too if given the chance), as he completely abandoned her and their upcoming child, Angie points out in-universe that he didn't respect her enough to be safe, and Zack even says "you'll hear about it next week" as if to indicate that the sex only recently happened. If that's the case, then Zack is a sexual abuser at best, if not a borderline date-rapist. The show has actually brought up rape and molestation on different occasions, so it's not entirely impossible.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Mel basically neglects Zack while his mother is a bitter old drunk. However, while he may have had a difficult childhood, getting the principal's daughter pregnant because he didn't respect her enough to be safe, embezzlement of company money, vandalizing his father's factory just to spite him (which nearly gets Benny fired), trying to manipulate Carmen into having sex with him and then running away to San Francisco completely shreds any sympathy the viewer might have for him. Lampshaded by George, who also grew up with an absent father and bitter alcoholic mother yet didn't turn out nearly as bad.
  Carmen: You guys don't understand Zack; his dad was never there for him and his mom's a bitter old drunk! You have no idea what that's like!
  (George and Angie both react with a silent "You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!" while Benny sheepishly tries to hide her beer)
  George: (to Benny) You wanna feel that one?
• Hate Sink: On top of his misogyny and wanting to use Carmen for sex, he's also a malicious, obnoxious, trouble-making little brat. There's nothing likeable about him at all.
• Hated by All: There's not a single character that likes Zack (except for Carmen at first). George is practically his Arch-Enemy, his school principal expelled him for knocking up his daughter, Carmen dumps him once she finally realizes what a leech he is, Benny knocks him out with a wrench and just the sheer fact that Mel didn't fire her for it shows he doesn't really care about his son.
• Hypocrite: He uses his father's neglect of him and mother's alchohism to win sympathy from people but doesn't think twice about abandoning his unborn child and the girl he got pregnant.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Only dates Carmen so she'll have sex with him, and then dumps her when she refuses. Not only that, he destroyed the factory and got another girl pregnant because he didn't respect her enough to use protection. Most likely, he'd have done the same to Carmen. Whereas most characters in the series that aren't all that nice, but all have hidden hearts of gold, he's just an all-around unpleasant jackass.
• Knight of Cerebus: Oh boy. While he does have one funny moment ("your boyfriends in the closet"), it's overshadowed by the fact that he's a perverted juvenile delinquent who creates a character arc which nearly destroys Carmen's relationship with her entire family.
• Laser-Guided Karma: He regularly avoids trouble throughout his appearances, but in his last episode, Benny smacks him with a wrench.
  Benny: Mel, your son has been in a terrible accident.
• Likes Older Women: He calls Angie hot at one point.
• Smug Snake: He's a bit too confident for his own good.
  George: You're done seeing my daughter. It's over.
  Zack: I think it'll be over...when Carmen gets outta bed to make me a sandwich.
• The Sociopath: Low functioning. While has a clear Lack of Empathy and does woo Carmen for a while, he doesn't bother being polite towards anyone else and his overall criminal behavior shows him to be hedonistic and aggressive. He's also very arrogant in general, and his Freudian Excuse doesn't even begin to justify his behavior.
• Teens Are Monsters: 17 years old, and one of the best examples of a sociopath in any sitcom ever.

Randy McGee

Played by: Nick Offerman

Benny's boyfriend.

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• The Big Guy
• Nice Guy: Despite leaving Benny at the altar, he's one of the friendlier characters on the show.
• Satellite Love Interest: Doesn't have much character aside from being Benny's lover.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Accident Amy tells Randy at his bachelor party that she's willing to give him what Benny can't: kids. While Randy doesn't outright dump Benny, he says he has some things to think about, which Benny rips into him for.

George Edward Lopez II

If we're playing 20 questions, shouldn't it be 20 different questions?

Played by: Lou Diamond Phillips

Manny's second son and George's half-brother.

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• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He stopped appearing after Manny's Death and was never mentioned again.
• Deadpan Snarker: Check out the image caption. ^note His response to George I after being asked "So you're George Lopez?" a second time
• Everyone Has Standards: While he has no problem using a sob story to get money from his half-brother, he gets defensive when George accuses him of identity fraud.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Foolish to George I's responsible. A college dropout who blew through his trust fund and was drowning in debt. His job at a skate shop apparently doesn't pay much.
• My Greatest Failure: He regretfully admits to taking advantage of Manny to act like a spoiled jerk.
• Nice Guy: He did break a trust fund with his dad when he was younger and did try to get $500 from George but almost everything else he does shows he does seem to be a rather friendly and caring guy. He was even willing to give a kidney to Manny until it turned out that they weren't compatible.
• Riches to Rags: He blew away the trust fund he received from Manny, is in a lot of debt, dropped out of college and works in a skate shop. He lied to George I, telling him that they were dirt poor, and that Manny was a piece of shit, realizing that the truth would get him no sympathy.
• Shared Family Quirks: While at Thirsty's, both Georges brush their hair back simultaneously.
  (Both George's pointing at each other) "Ciao!!"
• Spoiled Brat: Money problems aside, he stated that Manny finally grew tired of his bad attitude and cut him off from the family business. He admits that he did exploit his father.
• Surfer Dude: Well, skateboarder, but he does use some of the lingo.

Minor Characters

Luisa Diaz

Played by: Rita Moreno

Benny's abusive mother.

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• Abusive Parents: She admits to spanking Benny "sometimes in the face". She also called Benny a whore and tells her that she's worthless. In a courtroom no less.
• Hate Sink: Luisa is a portrayal of abusive mothers that isn't Played for Laughs. While Benny has moments of humor and sympathy, Luisa is just a walking ball of hate with no redeeming qualities.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: When we first meet Luisa, she seems like a stern but reasonable woman who has some understandable reasons to be annoyed with Benny but is willing to put it aside to keep her out of prison. Then she's put on the stand, and we see how heartless she really is. While she did seem truly concerned when George lured her over by telling her that Benny had been shot, she likely would have just been there to gloat if that were true, judging by her parting comments at the end of the episode.
• Outliving One's Offspring: She's still alive after Benny's brother Joe died. (Though this wasn't always the case, see Retcon below) and she believes she will outlive Benny as well.
  Luisa: I guess I'll see you at your next trial, huh?
  Benny: Not if I see you at your funeral first.
  Luisa: I've outlived your father and your brother. We'll see who's next.
• Retcon: George said Benny's parents were both dead in "Super Bowl", but Luisa is revealed to still be alive come Benny's trial.
• The Stoic: She speaks with little emotion and flat facial expressions, only ever raising her voice to tell Benny how pathetic and worthless she is.
• The Sociopath: She only seems interested in protecting her family's image. She doesn't care that her daughter might go to prison and chides George for wasting her time (He told her that Benny had been shot and was in the hospital) When admitting that she hit Benny, she callously brushes it off as "spanking her face" and saying that she had it coming.
• Unseen No More: Though she is mentioned quite often, she only physically appears in one episode of the series.

Lou Powers

Played by: Paul Gleason

The older brother of Jack and Mel. Left the family business before the series began.

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• The Alcoholic
• Benevolent Boss: Implied by Benny that he deeply cared about his workers when he was around. Since it's Benny of all people saying it, he must have been a saint.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome / Real Life Writes the Plot: Only appeared in one episode and was never seen or mentioned again, due to the passing of Paul Gleason in 2006. Particularly glaring in the Grand Finale, when Jack tries to sell the business and Lou's share in the company isn't brought up at all.
• Hidden Depths: A financial genius, according to Benny.

Marisol

Played by: Tonantzin Esparza

An ex-gang member who Angie convinces George to hire at the factory. Her full name is never revealed.

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• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: As George explained to Carmen why she shouldn't look up to Marisol, her toughness is an act. Deep down she's scared and unsure what to do with her life.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: It's never explained what happened to her after helping out with Benny's cleaning.

Piper Morley

Played by: Autumn Reeser

A bratty friend of Carmen's, turned into her arch-nemesis.

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• Alpha Bitch: She is a snobby bitch.
• Hate Sink: There is nothing good or likable about Piper. The only vaguely nice thing Piper does for Carmen is buy her a pillow...and even then, it is just an excuse to call her a slut.
• Jerkass: Bullies Carmen out of school, all for not joining in on insulting a friend.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Piper gets suspended from school when George and Angie prove that she was the one who instigated the fight with Carmen.
• Small Role, Big Impact: She's gone halfway into Season 2, but her bullying Carmen out of public school leads to Carmen's self-esteem being damaged for years, her relationships with Jason and Zack, and running away to San Francisco (which in turn leads to going to another new school).

Ricky

Played by: JB. Gaynor

A troublesome friend of Max.

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• Demoted to Extra: Once Ernie adopts him, he's only seen two more times and is then only mentioned from time to time.
• Freudian Excuse: His dad ran out on him and his mom is a rough alcoholic and horrible person. It is not known if she became who she is because of her husband leaving.
• Happily Adopted: By Ernie.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He started off as a bad influence on Max for a bit. Despite that, he actually really does care about Max and does value his friendship with him.
• Mirror Character: To George. Just like him, his father abandoned him and his mother is a neglectful, washed up drunk. When George learns this, he decides to forgive him for driving the car through a fence.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He talked Max into playing with a bottle rocket, which results in the garage burning down and taking the pricey LaMarie cosmetics with it. The family struggligng to find a way to deal with this financial mess results in George finally encountering Manny. When that goes poorly, he ends up taking a loan from Vic (thus marking when their Obnoxious In-Laws relationship slowly starts to improve).
• Toxic Friend Influence: Which is why George didn't want Max anywhere near him. The fact that he talked Max into actions that led to notable property damage says it all.

Tammy

Played by: Gigi Rice

Ricky's alcoholic mother.

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• The Alcoholic: She's even worse than Benny.
• Foil: To Angie. While Angie is a good mother who does genuinely care for George, Tammy clearly abuses Ernie for his money, openly cheats on him and is extremely neglectful towards Ricky.
• Hate Sink: Tammy is a selfish, neglectful mother who takes advantage of Ernie's kindness and mooches off his money, all the while she's cheating on him with other men and even briefly manipulates him into thinking he's the father of her unborn child.
• Put on a Bus: Ernie casually mentions that he figured out Tammy was cheating on him with other men while he was at work, so the relationship ended permanently.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: In her first appearance, her situation was portrayed sympathetically, as she lamented Ricky's deadbeat dad deserting her and how hard it is to raise a kid while struggling with drinking. In her second appearance, she's on the wagon, but she's also actively treating Ernie badly and taking advantage of him.

Eddie Carter

Played by: Richard Riehle

One of Benny's old flames, and a criminal.

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• Affably Evil: He's an armed robber, but he's also a genuine Nice Guy towards George and Max when they talk in the convenience store, and he really dotes on Benny for the most part until selling her out to the cops while thinking she turned him in. Eddie was an especially good friend towards George during the latter's childhood, always taking him to dodger games and even buying him his first beer at 14...
  George: ...innings into a great game on my 21st birthday.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Gender-Inverted. He tells George that he'll never find another woman like Benny, which actually shocks the former and makes him question if he's on medication.
• Evil Is Petty: He almost immediately turns on Benny and gives her up to the cops when he believes she turned him in to the police.
• Fat Bastard: He's overweight and an armed robber.
• Scars Are Forever: Benny once chased him out of the house with a hot iron, burning his rear.
  Eddie: I still got the triangle on my ass.
  Benny: Considering where I was aiming, you were lucky you turned around.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He appeared in one scene, but this led to Benny possibly going to jail for the rest of her life.
• Wicked Cultured: While robbing the convenience store, he also asks for a bottle of wine and some flowers to give Benny on their date.

Ray Palmero

Played by: Andy García

Veronica's father, a con artist, and Angie's brother.

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• Black Sheep: He's easily the worst member of the Palmero family, being a criminal and all. Angie and Vic have much contempt for him.
• Con Man: He's a con artist who talks and/or just robs relatives, elderly, children, whole families, and finally his own daughter out of their money.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Zigzagged: He stole from Veronica in the past, and tried to do it again. However, he does claim to still care about Veronica and only robbed her because he owes money to a lot of dangerous people. And he did pay Victor back...albeit by pulling another con. While George throws Ray out of Veronica's life, he tells Veronica that what Ray did wasn't out of malice, but desperation.
• Freudian Excuse: While stealing from his daughter is wrong on so many levels, Ray admits he's in deep with some very unsavory figures, and Vic admits he ruined Ray by spoiling him rotten.
• Hate Sink: He's a selfish, manipulative con artist who will gladly throw his own family members, including his own daughter under the bus to get some extra cash. It's clear that Ray isn't meant to be liked.
• It's All About Me: He doesn't really seem to care who he scams or how badly it hurts them, so long as it benefits himself. George even calls him out on it when he tries to leave with Veronica's inheritance.
  George: You know what's worse than stealing money from your daughter, is you actually made her think you cared about her.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: He acts quite friendly towards George, Angie and Vic, pretending he has finally made a Heel–Face Turn and even giving them gifts, but deep down he's only after Veronica's money.
• Parental Abandonment: Twice. He left Veronica alone with her mother, and then tries to scam her out of two million dollars five years later.
• Plays Great Ethnics: In-Universe, he mentions having pretended to be Greek during one of his scams.
• Slimeball: His own father describes him like this.
  Vic: Yep, there's the trail of slime on the ground behind you.
• Spoiled Brat: As a kid, Victor gave him everything he wanted. A childhood of never having to work for anything led to him becoming the lying, backstabbing bastard he is as an adult.
• Tragic Villain: Ray is a despicable jerk...but Vic admits to having spoiled him rotten. While George despises him, he also pities him as a screwed-up person with a lot of issues.
• The Unfavorite: Although Vic admits that the way he raised him didn’t exactly help. He none the less has openly expressed his disgust and disappointment toward the man Ray became.

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