Reba McEntire planned to enjoy some much deserved downtime when she received a call about starring in Happy’s Place. This new sitcom about a woman who inherits a restaurant — and with it discovers some long-lost family — is scheduled to debut on October 18 on NBC. “I said, ‘I think I’ll take next year off,’” Reba tells Closer. “The angels were going, ‘Oh, not yet. We’ve got something for you to do.’”
Even if it wasn’t literally divine intervention, Happy’s Place was the opportunity that Reba had been looking for since the end of her first sitcom, Reba, which ran for six seasons from 2001 to 2007. “It’s my favorite thing to do,” says the country music star, who spoke with Closer at the recent Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour. She confides that she prefers the stability and set schedule of a television show over the unpredictable rigors of a cross country music tour. “Consistency is not something I’ve had the first 20-30 years of my career,” Reba explains. “With TV, you’re in the same parking spot. Same stage. Same craft services. There’s your family that you get to work with and play with. The hours are great, the weekends are off.”
Inside Reba McEntire’s New Sitcom With Rex Linn
Reba’s chosen family for her new sitcom includes two familiar faces: Melissa Peterman, who costarred as Barbra Jean on Reba; and Rex Linn, Reba’s real-life love interest, who also appeared with her in the 2020 drama Big Sky and Lifetime’s 2023 film The Hammer. “We were both a little nervous about it at first. I mean, you just never know,” Rex confides to Closer about working together. “But it ended up being wonderful.” Reba agrees. “Our chemistry on the camera is great. He’s also my coach. He helps me with my dialogue. I love that he’s always got my back and I’ve got his.”
The pair began dating during the 2020 pandemic and aren’t married yet, but they might as well be. The new TV series guarantees that they will be seeing each other day and night — and neither is complaining. “We love getting up in the morning together,” said Rex. “We like going to bed together and talking about our day. We also love going to work together.”
There have been challenges. While filming Big Sky, Reba was also flying out to perform concerts every weekend. “We’d work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then she got on a plane Thursday morning,” recalls Rex, who admits that their relationship was “tested” by this unforgiving schedule, “but we never got in an argument. Never. Now with Happy’s Place, we just love to be able to do it again.”
Reba is also looking forward to playing a role that’s not based on herself. “Bobbie’s a pretty intense character,” says Reba. “She’s very devoted to the tavern and to her dad’s memory, and she wants everything to stay as it is.”
Of course, change is inevitable. While Reba’s character tries to fight it, the performer is happy to embrace fresh challenges and new chapters in her already remarkable life. “Out of all the things I get to do, this is my favorite,” says Reba of sitcom acting. “You just get to go to work and play. I absolutely love it. And getting to work with these folks? Icing on the cake!”
