1 9 8 4 (USA)
5 x 30 minute episodes
Short-lived ABC comedy from Norman Lear about a struggling young Hispanic comedian and his large, noisy family, who rooted for his success while wanting him to treat his Mexican-American heritage with almost solemn dignity.
Paul Rivera (Paul Rodriguez) – still called Pablo by his family – used a lot of ethnic jokes in his act, which sometimes offended his traditionalist parents, Domingo (Joe Santos) and Rosa Maria (Katy Jurado).
But every Mexican joke he used seemed to spring from his own home situation, whether it was about his sister Lucia (Martha Velez) and her swaggering husband Hector (Arnaldo Santana), stuffy bricklayer brother Manuel (Bert Osario) and his coquettish wife Carmen (Maria Richwine), or unmarried sister Sylvia (Alma Cuervo) who worked at K-Mart.
Jose (Hector Elizondo) was Paul’s fast-talking but inexperienced agent, while the rest of the regulars consisted of the Rivera/Del Gato children.
Paul (Pablo) Rivera
Paul Rodriguez
Domingo Rivera
Joe Santos
Rosa Maria Rivera
Katy Jurado
Sylvia Rivera
Alma Cuervo
Lucia Rivera Del Gato
Martha Velez
Hector Del Gato
Arnaldo Santana
Manuel Rivera
Bert Osario
Carmen Rivera
Maria Richwine
Jose Sanchez/Shapiro
Hector Elizondo
Linda Rivera
Edie Marie Rubio
Nicholas Rivera
Antonio Torres
Anna Maria Del Gato
Claudia Gonzales
Susanna Del Gato
Martha Gonzales
Tomas Del Gato
Mario Lopez
Mario Del Gato
Beto Lovato
Elena Del Gato
Michelle Smith
Episodes
The Big Mouth | My Son, the Gringo | The Presidential Joke Teller | The Whole Enchilada | The Woman Who Came to Dinner