news

Reba McEntire’s New Comedy Series ‘Happy’s Place’ Debuts: What You Need to Know

Vaseline October 19, 2024

Golden Globe-nominated actress and Oklahoma native Reba McEntire returns to series television with her anticipated new sitcom “Happy’s Place.”

The half-hour series premieres Friday, October 18 at 7pm on NBC.

All new episodes will stream the next day on Peacock, along with the rest of NBC’s entertainment schedule.

Here’s what you need to know about Reba’s new show ‘Happy’s Place’:

What is Reba’s new sitcom ‘Happy’s Place’ about and who is co-starring with her?

Reba confirmed in a spring interview with The Oklahoman that filming was completed in April on the pilot episode of “Happy’s Place,” starring Belissa Escobedo, Melissa Peterman, Pablo Castelblanco, Tokala Black Elk and Rex Linn.

The new multi-camera series stars Reba as Bobbie, who inherits her father’s Tennessee bar, Happy’s Place, when he dies. After years of running the tavern, her character is less than thrilled when she learns she has a new business partner: Isabella, the much younger half-sister she never knew she had, played by “Blue Beetle” star Escobedo.

Peterman stars as Gabby, an old tavern bartender who wishes she were Bobbie’s sister, while Linn, Reba’s actor friend and fellow Oklahoman, plays a taciturn chef named Emmett.

“Yellowstone” actor Black Elk, a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe and a direct descendant of the Lakota holy man Black Elk, has been cast as a friendly waiter with handyman skills named Takoda. Castelblanco (“Alaska Daily”) plays Steve, the restaurant’s accountant who works at the bar and doesn’t like change.

Reba and Peterman famously became good friends when they starred together in the still-beloved 2001-2007 TV series “Reba.” They made a boisterous appearance as presenters at last month’s Primetime Emmy Awards, where their red carpet presence made Ayo Edebiri, an Emmy-winning star of the hit FX series “The Bear,” literally squeal with delight.

In the first two episodes of “Happy’s Place,” the chemistry between all the cast members is strong, and the warm-hearted jokes mostly stick. Plus, Reba sings at the beginning of the second episode, which is always a plus.

Who’s working behind the scenes on ‘Happy’s Place?’

“Reba” executive producers Kevin Abbott, Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis are back together for the new project, alongside a new addition to the creative team, Julie Abbott.

Kevin Abbott is also the writer of the new series, while Reba is one of the executive producers.

“My crew, my producers and my showrunner, we’ve been working together for a long time. Since 2006, when ‘Reba’ was canceled, we’ve been trying to find another story,” Reba told The Oklahoman in a one-on-one interview backstage at the Western Heritage Awards in April in Oklahoma City.

“My showrunner Kevin Abbott and his wife, Julie, were the ones who came up with this idea – and we ran with it. And NBC liked it so much that we were able to do a pilot with it, and we hope to find out soon whether we will be able to continue with it a little further.”

The Abbotts are credited with creating the series. Matt Berry and Pamela Fryman are also listed as executive producers.

“Happy’s Place” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Will we see any other stars from the old ‘Reba’ series on ‘Happy’s Place?’

Reba and Peterman’s comeback won’t be the only reunion of ‘Reba’ in the first season of ‘Happy’s Place’.

Steve Howey, who played Reba’s son-in-law Van Montgomery on “Reba,” will appear in the Christmas episode of “Happy’s Place,” titled “Ho-Ho-Howey,” according to TVLine. Howey will play a potential sperm donor for Gabby when Peterman’s character thinks she wants to have a baby.

“We definitely want to bring in some of the old cast members – and in very different roles than what they played on Reba. Steve is our first and we’re trying to figure out how to bring JoAnna (Garcia-Swisher) in,” Kevin Abbott told TVLine.

“We only want the old cast there if we can really use them in a fun, impactful way. That cast was so easy to be with – Reba sets the tone, so it’s no surprise – and this (new) cast is exactly the same way.”

Who did Reba write the ‘Happy’s Place’ theme song with?

The “Reba” reunions on “Happy’s Place” come as McEntire’s series of the same name, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy TV Series in 2004, remains a popular title.

All episodes of the six-season show are now streaming on Hulu, and the series debuted on Netflix in the spring.

“I’m a Survivor,” the theme song to Reba’s first sitcom from 2001-2007, has proven to be a surprisingly strong foundation for the fiery hitmaker and continues to inspire internet memes and TikTok trends.

The Country Music Hall of Famer once again sings the theme song to “Happy’s Place,” with a warm atmosphere and inviting lyrics designed to make viewers feel at home — and feel the love.

The entertainment icon released the theme to “Happy’s Place” via MCA Nashville on all music platforms last week.

The Chockie native collaborated with fellow entertainment icon and legendary songwriter Carole King to write the theme “Happy’s Place.”

“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to write the theme song for ‘Happy’s Place’ with my good friend, Carole King,” Reba said in a statement. “It doesn’t get much better than that! I hope my fans will love this song as much as the theme song for the Reba show.”

How will the new series put Reba on NBC three times a week this fall?

Once “Happy’s Place” debuts Friday, fans can expect to see Reba at least three days a week on NBC this fall: The three-time Grammy Award winner is back as a coach on the Emmy Award-winning series “The Voice” after winning Season 25 in the spring.

Reba guides the contestants on Season 26 of The Voice, along with fellow returning coach (and Sooner State transplant) Gwen Stefani and coaches newcomers Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé.

“The Voice” airs on NBC Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

With its Friday 7 p.m. time slot, “Happy’s Place” ushers in a new NBC comedy hour, followed by the return of Season 3 of fan favorite “Lopez vs. Lopez,” starring comedic actor George Lopez, at 7:30 p.m. Friday . The news magazine “Dateline NBC” closes the evening from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Friday.

Where in Oklahoma is Reba’s real restaurant?

With ‘Happy’s Place’, Reba is now active in the restaurant world, both on TV and in real life.

Reba told The Oklahoman that she hopes to bring her real-world experience to the new TV show: She opened her namesake home-state restaurant Reba’s Place in early 2023 in a 100-year-old building in downtown Atoka.

“I have a lot more knowledge about running a restaurant and a tavern than I did before, so yeah, I think it will help,” said Reba, who grew up on an Atoka County ranch in nearby Chockie.