SEASON PREMIERE

SPARKS FLY BETWEEN GEORGE AND HIS MOM WHEN HER IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR FORCES THE LOPEZ FAMILY TO TAKE HER IN, ON THE ONE-HOUR SEASON PREMIERE OF ABC'S "GEORGE LOPEZ," NOW ON A NEW NIGHT AND TIME, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5

This season "George Lopez," the hit family comedy starring popular standup comedian George Lopez ("Shark Boy and Lava Girl"), moves to its new night, Wednesdays (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) on The ABC Television Network. The series begins its fourth season with a special one-hour broadcast of two back-to-back episodes, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET).

Editors please note: This program was originally scheduled to air on September 28.

George Lopez is a guy who has made lemonade from lemons at every turn. Since he became plant manager at an L.A. airplane parts factory, George has handled a complicated and tumultuous job, a strong but challenging marriage, two rebellious children and a mother who can't keep track of her own lies about his childhood -- all with his sense of humor intact.

His affable compadre, Ernie (Valente Rodriguez), still ribs George about his high-powered management position at the plant, but always lends a hand when George needs him. Though their marriage has had some close calls, George and his devoted wife, Angie (Constance Marie), still chose to recently renew their vows. Angie deals with his questionable decisions, his freewheeling approach to parenthood and his mother's insensitive wisecracks with the patience of a saint, and also some guidance from her father, Vic (Emiliano Dmez). But her drive to build a still unprofitable wedding planning business has nearly put the family in the poor house. George's biggest test, both at work and home, is his tough and acerbic but loving mother, Benny (Belita Moreno, "Perfect Strangers"), as he sifts through her vast assortment of lies about his family and childhood. After rediscovering and then losing his father to kidney disease, plus learning of a long lost sister, George now wonders what, or who, is around the next corner. Meanwhile, after she ran away from home, was expelled from school and fell in love with a handsome jock, sixteen year-old Carmen's (Masiela Lusha) free-spirited, teenage rebellion has left her parents at a total loss for what to do next. And thirteen year-old Max, always the practical joker, clearly maintains the sense of humor he inherited from his father, but continues to struggle with dyslexia and constantly tests his parents' limits by being drawn toward the wrong crowd.

In the one-hour season premiere broadcast, "George Gets a Pain in the Ash" and "You Dropped a Mom on Me," the Lopez household suddenly becomes very crowded when George's mother, Benny, forgets about a burning cigarette and causes a family disaster of huge proportions. Meanwhile George and Angie are pushed to the brink when Carmen insists that she and her boyfriend, Jason, get married and have a baby so they can be together.

"George Lopez" stars George Lopez as George, Constance Marie as Angie, Belita Moreno as Benny, Valente Rodgriguez as Ernie, Masiela Lusha as Carmen, Luis Armand Garcia as Max and Emiliano Dmez as Vic Palmero.

Guest starring (in "George Gets a Pain in the Ash") are Bryan Fisher as Jason, Michael Taggart as the fireman and Washington DC radio jock Jack Diamond as the doctor. Both episodes were written by Dave Caplan and directed by Joe Regalbuto.

Executive producers are Bruce Helford, Robert Borden, Academy Award-winner Deborah Oppenheimer, Sandra Bullock, George Lopez, Mark Torgove, Paul Kaplan and Dave Caplan. "George Lopez" is produced by Mohawk Productions, Inc. and Fortis Films, in association with Warner Bros. Television.

"George Lopez" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP.

This program carries a TV-14,D,L parental guideline.