Reba McEntire cooks up another hit with her new NBC sitcom 'Happy's Place:' What to know
Country Music Hall of Famer, Golden Globe-nominated actress and Oklahoma native Reba McEntire has another hit on her hands with her new sitcom "Happy's Place."
The pilot episode of Reba's new comedy series served up 10 million cross-platform viewers in the first week after it aired on NBC, Deadline reports.
The first episode of the half-hour show, which debuted Oct. 18, cooked up 4 million views in its live and same-day window, TVLine reported.
According to Deadline, that was a 90% boost in total viewers for the typically quiet 7 to 7:30 p.m. Friday time slot occupied by "Happy's Place," which is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
All new episodes are streaming the next day on Peacock, along with the rest of NBC’s entertainment lineup, and the "Happy's Place" pilot marked the network's best new comedy launch to date on the streamer, based on the three-day average minute viewership, according to Deadline.
"(We) couldn't have done it without you, and we wouldn't have wanted to. Y'all are the best, loyal fans ever in the world," Reba said in a video she posted on social media to mark the 10 million viewership milestone.
"Let's continue this ride together."
New episodes of "Happy's Place" air at 7 p.m. Fridays on NBC.
What is Reba's new sitcom 'Happy's Place' about and who co-stars with her?
Reba confirmed in a spring interview with The Oklahoman that filming was completed in April for the pilot episode of "Happy's Place," which co-stars 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 running the tavern for many years, 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.
"I like sitcoms. I was a huge fan of them growing up. And then, getting to do the 'Reba' show, one season of (the short-lived ABC series) 'Malibu Country,' and now back with the team, my producers, showrunners, doing this new show, it's just so much fun. I love everything about it," Reba said in an Oct. 29 interview on the "Today" show, where she chatted about the reasons for the early success of "Happy's Place."
"I think it's the simplicity of it, the nostalgic aspect of it, because everybody remembers watching sitcoms growing up. And they kind of went away for a while, which was really scary to me, because I love this format."
Linn, Reba's actor boyfriend and fellow Oklahoman, plays a taciturn cook named Emmett, and the couple said they have a blast working together on the sitcom.
"We're lucky to have the great writers that we have. It's on the page, and it's funny on the page. We just have to figure out a way to bring it to the screen. I think so far, so good," Linn said on "Today."
Peterman co-stars as Gabby, a longtime bartender at the tavern who wishes she was Bobbie’s sister. "Yellowstone" actor Black Elk, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a direct descendant of the Lakota holy man Black Elk, plays 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.
Reba and Peterman became famously close friends when they co-starred in the still-beloved 2001-07 TV series "Reba." They made an uproarious appearance as presenters on the recent Primetime Emmy Awards, where their presence on the red carpet had Ayo Edebiri, an Emmy-winning star of the hit FX series "The Bear," freaking out and squealing with delight.
"I was freaking out seeing her. She's such a great actress," Reba recalled on "Today."
Who is 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 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 a 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 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 Abbotts are credited with creating the series. Matt Berry and Pamela Fryman also are listed as executive producers.
Will we see any other stars from the old 'Reba' series on 'Happy's Place?'
The comeback for Reba and Peterman won't be the only "Reba" reunion happening on the first season of "Happy's Place."
Steve Howey, who played Reba’s son-in-law Van Montgomery on "Reba," will appear on the "Happy’s Place" Christmas episode, 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 absolutely want to bring some of the old cast members on — and in very different roles than what they played on Reba. Steve’s our first one up, and we’re trying to figure out how to bring JoAnna (Garcia-Swisher) in," Kevin Abbott told TVLine.
"We only want to have the old cast in if we can really utilize them in a fun, impactful way. That cast was so easy to get along with — Reba sets the tone, so it’s not a surprise — and this (new) cast is the exact same way."
Who did Reba write with on the 'Happy's Place' theme song?
The "Reba" reunions on "Happy's Place" come as McEntire's eponymous series, for which she was nominated for a 2004 Golden Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy TV series, remains a popular title.
All episodes of the six-season show are now streaming on Hulu, and the series debuted in the spring on Netflix.
"I'm a Survivor," the theme song to Reba's first 2001-2007 sitcom, has proven a surprisingly stalwart staple for the flame-haired hitmaker, continuing to inspire Internet memes and TikTok trends.
The Country Music Hall of Famer again croons the theme song to "Happy's Place," with a warm vibe and inviting lyrics designed to make viewers feel at home — and feel the love.
The entertainment icon recently released the theme to "Happy's Place" via MCA Nashville across all music platforms.
The Chockie native teamed up with fellow entertainment icon and legendary songwriter Carole King to pen the "Happy's Place" theme.
How is the new series putting Reba on NBC three times a week this fall?
Fans can see Reba on NBC at least three days a week this fall: Along with her starring role in "Happy's Place," 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 is mentoring competitors on "The Voice" Season 26, alongside fellow returning coach (and Sooner State transplant) Gwen Stefani and coaching newcomers Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé.
"The Voice" airs at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.
With its 7 p.m. Friday time slot, "Happy's Place" is leading off a new NBC comedy hour, followed by the Season 3 of the fan-favorite “Lopez vs. Lopez,” starring comedic actor George Lopez, at 7:30 p.m. Fridays. The newsmagazine “Dateline NBC” is capping the evening from 8 to 10 p.m. Fridays.
Where in Oklahoma is Reba's real-life restaurant?
With "Happy's Place," Reba is now in the restaurant business on TV as well as in real life.
Reba told The Oklahoman she hopes to bring her real-life experience to the new TV show: She opened in early 2023 her eponymous home-state restaurant Reba's Place in a 100-year-old building in downtown Atoka.
"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.
On the "Today" show this week, the flame-haired hitmaker said cooking up her hometown restaurant has generated excitement not only in the city of Atoka and Atoka County but also across the entire state of Oklahoma.
"It seems a very, very popular destination. People are traveling all over the United States to come have some chicken-fried steak and strawberry shortcake," Reba said.