Reba McEntire Shares Lessons Learned from Her Comeback in Sitcom “Happy’s Place”
When Reba McEntire first played a lead in a primetime sitcom in 2001, Reba, she had no idea what to do. Despite jumping from The WB to The CW, her debut sitcom became a huge hit, had a successful six-season run, and gifted people with an unforgettable theme song.
Despite having her hands full with her musical career, gigs on The Voice, rescuing small towns, etc., McEntire is set to make her sitcom comeback after 17 years with NBC’s Happy’s Place. The Country legend is set to portray Bobbie, the fiery owner of the titular bar, left to her by her dearly departed father, Happy.
However, she soon has to adjust to a new dynamic after learning about a step-sister, Isabella (Belissa Escobedo), who has been given half of the bar’s share in Happy’s will. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, McEntire spoke about her “very down-to-earth, no nonsense” character.
“She was married, but her husband passed away. She has one daughter that is deployed in the Army, so she’s pretty much by herself and her life is spent in the tavern,” the Country singer added. Bobbie will be surrounded by a bunch of titular employees — Melissa Peterman as the clingy bartender Gabby, Pablo Castelblanco as the finicky accountant Steve, McEntire’s real-life boyfriend, Rex Linn as a short-tempered cook Emmett, and many more.
During the interview, the I’m a Survivor singer credited her show Reba for teaching her everything she knows about sitcoms. “Oh my gosh, I learned everything from [Reba], how to rehearse, how to flow with things,” she said.
McEntire is definitely a pro when it comes to understanding sitcoms, good enough to give her rookie boyfriend some tips. “This is Rex’s first sitcom and I kind of told him that. I said, ‘Don’t memorize everything off the first draft because they’ll change it and they do every day just to improve it,” she said. Instead, she asked him to work on blocking and other technicalities, at least in the initial episodes. That’s what a supportive girlfriend is like!
Happy’s Place premieres Friday, October 18, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, on NBC.