If you’re like us, you’ve probably been waiting patiently for the premiere of Reba McEntire’s new sitcom, Happy’s Place.
Reba McEntire announced her role in a new NBC sitcom earlier this year, saying she was “very excited” about filming. Her friend and former co-star Melissa Peterman, along with Belissa Escobedo, also joined the cast. McEntire’s real-life boyfriend, Rex Linn, will also appear in the series.
McEntire stars as Bobbie, who inherits her dad’s restaurant in Knoxville, Happy’s Place, and discovers a surprise business partner—her half-sister Isabella, played by Escobedo. Peterman plays Gabby, a bartender and Bobbie’s friend, while Linn is a short-order cook named Emmett.
After a few months of anticipation and some teasers for Reba McEntire herself, fans finally learned the official premiere date for Happy’s Place: Friday, October 18, at 8 p.m. ET, exclusively on NBC.
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During a recent interview with TV Insider, Reba McEntire shared a few new details about her character on Happy’s Place.
When Isabella, Escobedo’s character, first arrives at the tavern after those handling Happy’s estate summon her, the newfound sisters experience mixed emotions.
“It’s a little bit of a shock for both of us. Happiness [for Isabella]. Shock [for Bobbie],” McEntire explained. “The whole [series premiere] is [about] absorbing and adjusting. It’s huge news. Life-jarring.”
Escobedo added, “Bobbie and Isabella both had no idea the other existed. Isabella grew up with a single mom, not really knowing who her dad was, so she always felt something was missing. This gives her a chance to find a family of her own.”
McEntire also shared that Bobbie, her character, is “pretty intense.” With her husband deceased and her daughter deployed, she relies heavily on her tavern family now.
“She’s loyal, a very hard worker, and loves what she gets to do. She’s devoted to the tavern and to her dad’s memory and wants everything to stay as it is,” McEntire shared.
Lucky for Bobbie, she’s got a pretty awesome tavern family behind her.
“I’ve got a great cast of characters there at the tavern who help her run it, who are doing a lot of the heavy lifting,” McEntire said. Peterman joked of her character, Gabby, “I don’t even have a bar back. I’m doing it all!”
Kevin Abbott, who served as the executive producer of McEntire’s early 2000s sitcom, Reba, is also taking on the role of executive producer of Happy’s Place. Because of this, McEntire and her co-stars say that Abbott is able to write their characters’ voices really well.
“He understands my lingo,” McEntire expressed. “He knows when to pull certain things out that I say, probably incorrectly, but my way of saying it, and we’ll all laugh about it.”
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With such a talented cast and creative team behind the scenes, we can’t wait to see the magic of Happy’s Place come to life!