There are two families living side by side, one kind of mellow, the other quite up tight.
Hispanic cockroaches feature quite a lot, occasionally taking over one house.
There’s an evil alien vegetable underground nearby.
That sounds like Fraggle Rock, which originally showed on HBO. The vegetable garden, I believe, was actually the Trash Heap, which was scary, but not evil. The Fraggles occasionally went to it for advice. The uptight family was probably the Gorgs, humanoid creatures that have delusions of royal grandeur. And the cockroaches? If it is Fraggle Rock you’re talking about, my guess is that you’re thinking of Philo and Gunge, the two rats that hung out with the Trash Heap.
Take a gander at the Wikipedia link I included to see if any of the photos look familiar.
Haven’t a clue, then. I’d almost say it was a European show, but with North American voices thrown into the mix… I dunno. If it was a Henson-related show, it might be included in the Muppet Wiki. (I love the Internet. Who knew people went to all this trouble for Muppet-related info?)
Sorry to bump this ancient thread, but completely by chance my sister found out what it was called. She too got funny looks when she tried to describe it to other people, until someone came up with… Gophers!