Voting Station

a.k.a. Pablo

Please vote to return to collections.

TV Series

The Resume

    (March 6, 1984-April 10, 1984)
    Aired on ABC
    Created by Rick Mitz and Norman Lear
    Produced by Norman Lear, Embassy Television Production Company
    Paul Rodriguez as Pablo Rivera
    Hector Elizondo as Jose Sanchez
    Joe Santos as Domingo Rivera
    Alma Cuervo as Sylvia Rivera
    Martha Velez as Lucia Rivera Del Gato
    Arnaldo Santana as Hector Del Gato
    Maria Richwine as Carmen Rivera
    Bert Rosario as Manuel Rivera
    Katy Jurado as Rosa Maria Rivera
    Edie Marie Rubio as Linda Rivera
    Antonio Torres as Nicholas Rivera
    Claudia Gonzáles as Anna Maria Del Gato
    Marta Yolanda González as Susanna Del Gato
    Beto Lovato as Mario Del Gato
    Michelle Smith as Elena Del Gato
    Mario Lopez as Tomas Del Gato
    Synopsis - Mexican-American comedian living with his family, in California, struggles to make it with ethnic humor in stand-up comedy, all without offending his traditionalist parents who expect him to treat his heritage more respectfully

Why a.k.a. Pablo might be annoying:

    The opening theme alone was motivation enough for self-mutilation.
    It was nicknamed 'Maude Goes Mexican' and 'All in the Family Eats Frijoles.'
    Its aim was to challenge Hispanic stereotypes, but it usually ended up reinforcing them.
    Paul Rodriguez later said, 'I didn't know nothing about television, but I knew it was a failure from the beginning. But, I took the money and shut up.'
    It was the precursor to the even less funny, more offensive (much harder to kill) 'Latino family sitcom,' George Lopez.
    The least of its issues was that Pablo wasn't just 'not likable' - he annoyed viewers worse than Poncho on The Cisco Kid.
    One of its main issues was that there were way too many characters to keep track of, thereby limiting their development.
    Its premise usually served for a single episode on most sitcoms (family gets offended when the main character tells embarrassing jokes).
    In a case of art imitating life, its target audience, Hispanic-Americans, objected to the show's crude humor, revolving around 'Latino slang.'
    Hispanic audiences also wised up to the casting of Puerto Rican, Italian, and Cuban actors as members of a Mexican-American family (although Caucasian viewers probably couldn't tell the difference).
    Bea Arthur became a late addition to the show's lineup as a wisecracking press agent, but it was really too little too late at that point (it was cancelled after only six episodes).

Why a.k.a. Pablo might not be annoying:

    Three words: Young. Mario. Lopez.
    It has the distinction as network TV's first primetime all-Hispanic cast series.
    As such, it was one of the only TV series to deal explicitly in Latin culture.
    It provided job security for Mexican screen legend, Katy Jurado.
    It proved that the 'sitcom based around a popular comedian's nightclub acts' formula had its limits.
    Rodriguez later joked, 'I like to think of myself as the guy who ruined Norman Lear. After my TV Series folded, he went into pretzel sales!'
    In all fairness, Norman Lear had started to suck long before a.k.a Pablo ever got the green light.
    Its honestly kind of weird seeing Dorothy Zbornak guest star on a show whose lead would be guest-starring on her (more successful) show, only two years later, and in a comparatively minor role.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying