The HGTV Series Starring Mario Lopez You Likely Forgot

No matter where you look, Mario Lopez continues to build upon his long-standing career in the entertainment industry. From his roles in "Saved by the Bell" and "Dancing with the Stars" to various Broadway productions, a daily iHeartRadio show, a game show on GSN, and even making time to be a go-to actor for Lifetime movies, Lopez certainly has kept himself busy over the years. But do you remember when he tried to add an HGTV show to the mix?

It's no joke: Mario Lopez starred in his own television show on HGTV in the not-too-distant past, but you can't be blamed if "Supersize My Pool" slipped your mind in the years since. As it turns out, HGTV basically seems to have forgotten about it, too. While there's a bare minimum listing for the Lopez series on HGTV's official site, the network didn't even bother including the typical episode guide that accompanies most of your favorite HGTV shows even after they go off the air. What happened?

On paper, "Supersize My Pool" looked like a recipe for great success: After mudslides severely damaged his California backyard, Mario Lopez decided to turn his own personal struggle into a new opportunity for a hit HGTV series. "I learned to appreciate the back yard when I couldn't use it," he shared at the time (via UPI). Having spent nearly a year barred from his own space due to the damage, "Supersize My Pool" was his opportunity to help others transform their outdoor areas into resort-style havens of their own.

Unlike rival pool shows like "Pool Kings" or "Insane Pools," each episode of Lopez's show uniquely put the focus on families — a value that continues to be near and dear to him, which he's personally told us about in an exclusive interview with The List: "It fits for my brand, being all about family." The program featured homeowners who faced plenty of their own obstacles — such as budgetary constraints and unreliable contractors — as Lopez brought in his team to make their dream backyards a reality, complete with swimming areas, grottos, water slides, and hot tubs. (Think "Pimp My Ride," but with pools instead of cars.)

Though the half-hour show was never officially canceled, only four episodes aired — all during July 2019. After that, it disappeared from the air and never earned a proper renewal or formal axing. It's not like HGTV is hiding anything, of course: All four episodes have appeared on Discovery+ and were also made available for purchase on Apple TV and Amazon Video. 

Looking back in the present day, HGTV's "Supersize My Pool" looks like just another Mario Lopez vehicle that didn't catch on. It now joins the ranks of numerous other recent Lopez-fronted shows that met similar fates, including Peacock's canceled "Saved by the Bell" revival in 2021, his defunct series "The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia" (2020), and his short-lived hosting gig on CBS's "Candy Crush" game show in 2017. There's no doubt Lopez will continue trying for a winner — here's hoping he lands one soon.