While Reba might be fondly remembered, it is a good thing that Reba McEntire’s new show Happy’s Place is changing one element of the hit sitcom’s familiar formula. Reba’s entire cast of characters were memorable, but there was never any doubt over whom the show’s star was. Reba McEntire shone as the eponymous heroine, a single mother who raised her children and handled her troubled relationship with her ex-husband while working two jobs. The difficulties of holding down multiple jobs were famously illustrated in Reba’s iconic theme song, which spawned TikTok memes even years after the series ended.

The enduring popularity of Reba resulted in more than online trends. The show’s star had a second, less successful star vehicle in 2012’s Malibu Country, another family sitcom that once again saw Reba play a wronged single mother. Admittedly, Malibu Country’s heroine was a successful singer instead of a working-class woman, but the similarities between the two shows still proved too noticeable. Malibu Country was canceled after one season and McEntire spent a few years focusing on music before gaining a guest role in Young Sheldon. This part resulted in McEntire headlining a new sitcom, albeit one that changes her formula.

Happy’s Place Isn’t A Family Sitcom Like Reba McEntire’s Earlier Shows

Reba McEntire’s Character Isn’t A Mother Raising Children

Reba McEntire’s upcoming sitcom Happy’s Place sounds promising precisely because the show isn’t a carbon copy of Reba or Malibu Country. While both of those shows saw McEntire play women who were divorced due to infidelity on the part of their partners, Happy’s Place gives Reba McEntire a happier romance. Meanwhile, Happy’s Place also makes a pivotal change to another aspect of the singer/ actor’s typical sitcom heroines. Unlike the protagonists of both Reba and Malibu Country, Reba McEntire’s character isn’t a mother in the upcoming sitcom Happy’s Place. Instead, the singer plays a woman who inherits her estranged father’s bar.

Happy’s Place is right to change Reba McEntire’s screen persona.

The synopsis of Happy’s Place doesn’t mention any children, but it does note that McEntire’s heroine Bobbie has a half-sister who is significantly younger than her. This is an original conceit that proves the series will be more than a mere retread of Reba and Malibu Country. If viewers wanted a show like Reba, a straightforward revival would have been better than a copycat. As such, Happy’s Place is right to change Reba McEntire’s screen persona. Reba’s Hart family were lovable and compelling, but Happy’s Place’s premise has both built-in conflict and a lot of potential for future storylines.

How Happy’s Place’s Bobbie Subverts Reba McEntire’s Sitcom Formula

Belissa Escobedo’s Isabella Is A Far Cry From Reba’s Barbra

In both Reba and Malibu Country, McEntire’s characters were typically in conflict with their flawed ex-husbands. In contrast, Happy’s Place pits McEntire’s heroine against a much younger co-star. Reba’s earlier sitcom characters faced plenty of challenges from the younger Barbra, but their conflict was less about their age gap and more about Reba’s ex-husband. Reba struggled to put up with Brock’s well-meaning new love interest, but most of her hardships came from her work/ life balance and her co-parenting struggles. Similarly, Malibu Country’s heroine was defined by her breakup with her husband, rather than her relationship with the younger generation.

McEntire’s character must find a way to share the bar she now co-owns with her younger half-sister.

In Happy’s Place, a shared father’s death brings Isabella and Bobbie together, and McEntire’s character must find a way to share the bar she now co-owns with her younger half-sister. Reba McEntire’s earlier hit comedy show didn’t have a central premise this juicy, and there is obvious potential for endless drama and conflict baked into this messy, intergenerational story. Either Bobbie or Escobedo’s younger heroine may want to sell the bar, only for the other half-sibling to shut down this plan. Meanwhile, the pair’s different generations meant their plans for revamping the place would almost certainly be in direct opposition.

Happy’s Place Updates Reba McEntire’s Screen Persona With Isabela

Isabela Can Challenge Reba McEntire’s Character More

This is intriguing because, although Reba and Malibu Country featured plenty of plots where the children of McEntire’s characters rebelled, they were ultimately her kids. This time, McEntire’s Bobbie is on equal footing with her half-sister, Belissa Escobedo’s Isabella. Escobedo is only 25 years old, meaning there will be a larger generation gap between Bobbie and her than between Reba and Barbra. To make things more intense, Bobbie only learns of her half-sister’s existence in the pilot. Thus, Happy’s Place can change Reba McEntire’s screen persona and offer viewers a new side of her as Bobbie learns to work with her half-sister.

There is no denying that Reba McEntire’s first hit sitcom was iconic, but its followup failed mainly because Malibu Country tried to revisit Reba’s formula. Happy’s Place is subverting Reba McEntire’s familiar routine by ensuring that the singer’s character isn’t a mother and isn’t heartbroken by a recent divorce. These two changes ensure that viewers will see a new side of the star, while the pivotal role of Escobedo’s Isabella makes the show even more enticing. Isabella can challenge McEntire’s character more than her children from earlier shows, since the pair are equals despite their different ages.

Reba McEntire’s Sitcom Style Needed An Update After 23 Years

Malibu Country Failed To Replicate Reba’s Success

Malibu Country didn’t set the world alight when the show arrived in 2012 and its underwhelming reception was due, in part, to its excessive similarities with Reba’s premise. McEntire might have been playing a country singer, but she was still another single mom. She may have been a lot better off this time around, but the series still started with her divorcing her husband after discovering his infidelity. This was too much like Reba to feel original, but not as satisfying as a straight revival of the sitcom. Since Happy’s Place isn’t a Reba revival, the sitcom wisely changes things this time around

Happy’s Place also stars Reba’s Melissa Peterman in a supporting role

That said, there will still be plenty for Reba fans to enjoy in Happy’s Place. Happy’s Place is a multicam sitcom like Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage in an era when this format is becoming vanishingly rare. Happy’s Place also stars Reba’s Melissa Peterman in a supporting role, meaning McEntire will be reunited with her most memorable costar from the original series. Happy’s Place is also created by Kevin Abbott, who co-created both Reba and Malibu Country. As such, Reba viewers can rest assured that Happy’s Place will still be the same sort of Reba McEntire vehicle they have grown to love.