Reba McEntire’s new sitcom ‘Happy’s Place’ ordered up to series on NBC
Oklahoma native Reba McEntire is now in the restaurant business, on TV as well as in real life.
NBC revealed Tuesday that the network has given a series order for the new sitcom “Happy’s Place,” which will mark a return to series television for the Golden Globe-nominated actress and Country Music Hall of Fame singer.
Reba confirmed last month to The Oklahoman that filming was completed in April for the pilot episode of “Happy’s Place,” which will co-star Belissa Escobedo, Melissa Peterman, Pablo Castelblanco, Tokala Black Elk and Rex Linn.
“My good friend Melissa Peterman is joining me again on, (as) I call it, the TV box, and it’s a fun story,” Reba told The Oklahoman.
What is the story behind Reba McEntire’s new sitcom ‘Happy’s Place?’
The new show stars Reba as Bobbie, who inherits her father’s restaurant, Happy’s Place, when he dies. Her character is less than thrilled when she learns she has a new business partner: the younger half-sister she never knew she had, played by “Blue Beetle” star Escobedo.
Peterman co-stars as Gabby, a longtime bartender at the tavern who wishes she was Bobbie’s sister, while Linn, Reba’s actor boyfriend and fellow Oklahoman, plays a taciturn cook named Emmett, according to Deadline.
Deadline also reports that “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 kindly waiter with handyman skills named Takoda.
Castelblanco (”Alaska Daily”) plays Steve, the restaurant’s accountant who does his work at the bar and dislikes change.
How is ‘Happy’s Place’ a sitcom reunion for Reba and her collaborators?
Reba and Peterman became friends when they co-starred in the still-beloved 2001-2007 TV series “Reba.”
But theirs isn’t the only “Reba” reunion happening 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 also is the new series’ writer, while Reba is listed among the executive producers.
“My crew, my producers and my showrunner, we’ve been working for a long time. Ever since 2006, when ‘Reba’ got canceled, we’ve been trying to find another story,” Reba told The Oklahoman in an one-on-one interview behind the scenes at April’s Western Heritage Awards in Oklahoma City.
“My showrunner Kevin Abbott, his wife, Julie, was the one that came up with this idea — and we ran with it. And NBC loved it enough to for us to do a pilot, and we hope to find out real soon if we get to run forward a little further with it.”
The “Reba” reunion on “Happy’s Place” comes as McEntire’s eponymous series, for which was she was nominated for a 2004 Golden Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy TV series, remains a hot title. All episodes of the six-season show are now streaming on Hulu, and the series debuted May 6 on Netflix.
When can viewers expect to see Reba’s new show ‘Happy’s Place’ on TV?
“Happy’s Place” is part of the comedy slate for NBC’s 2024-2025 season. It also will be streaming on Peacock, the network announced on social media.
But people don’t have to wait that long to try some of the multitalented Okie’s restaurant fare.
Reba, who already can be seen on NBC as a coach on Season 25 of the singing competition series “The Voice,” opened in early 2023 her eponymous home-state eatery Reba’s Place in Atoka.
She told The Oklahoman her experiences with Reba’s Place should help her add extra seasoning to “Happy’s Place.”
“I have a lot more knowledge about running a restaurant and a tavern than before, so, yeah, I think it’ll help,” said Reba, who grew up on an Atoka County ranch in nearby Chockie.
The country music superstar, whose “Reba” theme song “I’m a Survivor” remains a familiar and relatable anthem, said she hopes to incorporate her music into the new sitcom, too.
“Music will always be there,” she said.