''a.k.a. Pablo'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

television series starring Paul Rodriguez that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

from March 6 to April 10, 1984. It was executive produced by Norman Lear.

Synopsis

The series focuses on struggling

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

stand-up comic Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

Paul Rivera and his large Mexican American family, who still called him by his given name Pablo. While they supported his career and longed for his success, his

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

alist parents were offended by the

ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

humor he incorporated into his act and urged him to be more respectful of his heritage. Rounding out the boisterous family were his sister Lucia and know-it-all brother-in-law Hector and their five children, his "stuffed shirt" brother Manuel and flirty sister-in-law Carmen and their two children, and his very-anxious-to-wed

spinster ''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...

sister Sylvia. José was Paul/Pablo's slick but inexperienced agent. The cast included Paul Rodriguez,

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Katy Jurado María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García (16 January 1924 – 5 July 2002), known professionally as Katy Jurado, was a Mexican actress. Jurado began her acting career in Mexico during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In 1951, she was rec ...

Héctor Elizondo Héctor Elizondo (born December 22, 1936) is an American character actor. He is known for playing Phillip Watters in the television series ''Chicago Hope'' (1994–2000) and Ed Alzate in the television series '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021) ...

and

Mario Lopez Mario Lopez (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor and television host. He has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on '' Saved by the Bell'', '' Saved by the Bell ...

. The first episode of the

series aired on Tuesday, March 6, 1984, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times. The show was cancelled after six broadcasts. In 2002 ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' ranked the series number 45 on its "50 Worst TV Shows of All Time" list.

Cast

* Paul Rodriguez as "Paul" Pablo Rivera *

as Domingo Rivera *

as Rosa Maria Rivera * Alma Cuervo as Sylvia Rivera * Martha Velez as Lucia Rivera Del Gato * Arnaldo Santana as Hector Del Gato * Bert Rosario as Manuel Rivera *

Maria Richwine Maria Richwine (born María Agudelo, June 22, 1952 in Cali, Colombia) is a Colombian-born American actress who was also the first Latina Playboy Bunny. Her first movie role was as Buddy Holly's wife Maria, in the 1978 biopic movie ''The Bud ...

as Carmen Rivera *

Hector Elizondo In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

as José Sanchez/Shapiro * Edie Marie Rubio as Linda Rivera * Antonio Torres as Nicholas Rivera * Fezwick DaPoochie as Pancho * Claudia Gonzales as Anna Maria Del Gato * Martha Gonzales as Susana Del Gato *

as Tomas Del Gato * Beto Lovato as Mario Del Gato * Michelle Smith as Elena Del Gato

US television ratings

Episodes

References

External links

* {{Norman Lear 1984 American television series debuts 1984 American television series endings 1980s American sitcoms American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Television series about families Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series created by Norman Lear Television shows set in Los Angeles Latino sitcoms