ABC · Ended

Common Law

Comedy · 1996

Last aired: S1 E4, In the Matter of: Luis in Love · 1996-10-19

Harvard-trained Latino attorney John Alvarez defies all expectations with his witty and nonconformist attitude. The comedy series depicts his character struggling to fit in the upscale corporate culture as well as his parents' blue-collar world. Although he works for a prestigious Manhattan law firm, John remains loyal to his traditional Queens, New York upbringing, and he never lets his success get in the way of his family and childhood friends. Living and working together with his beautiful attorney girlfriend Nancy Slaton has its advantages, but it's a romance kept secret from the firm which has strictures against dating co-workers. Nancy is a fun-loving, intelligent perfectionist with a good heart. Since she is very much in love with John and quite the opposite of him, her conservative Upper East Side upbringing balances her relationship with her no-rules boyfriend. John has always been more of a leader than a follower, as his father, Luis Alvarez, would tell you. As a working class barber who owns a barber shop in Queens, Luis is very proud of his lawyer son. He is John's biggest fan, but his old-world ways sometimes put him at odds with his unconventional son.