‘HAPPY’S PLACE’ IS THE RETURN OF REBA TO TV COMEDY
Though she’s perhaps best known for her vocal talents, Reba McEntire is also loved on the small screen from her turn in sitcoms. Her latest, Happy’s Place, reunites her with some former co-stars and gives her a tavern to run.
Happy’s Place (2024) First Impression TV Show Review
Running her father’s tavern is something Bobbie (Reba) does well. It’s just reopened in the aftermath of his death, but the new ownership she retains isn’t Bobbie’s greatest surprise. What throws Bobbie is the revelation that she has a half-sister. Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) is from a completely different generation than Bobbi and has ideas and plans for how best to run a business that Bobbie sees as unnecessary after running the place for ten years.
Also in this mix are tavern employees, Gabby (Melissa Peterman), an enthusiastic and funny woman; Emmett (Rex Linn), the cook; Steve (Pablo Castelblanco) who does the businesses books; and the final regular is Takodo (Tokala Black Elk).
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‘HAPPY’S PLACE’ IS THE RETURN OF REBA TO TV. #Reba's return to TV is here! How do you rate the #HappysPlace sitcom? Share on XThough it’s been over for many years now, people still fondly remember Reba. A WB (now CW) sitcom that ended in 2006, the comedy followed Reba as a woman recently divorced trying to deal with her husband having a baby with the woman he had an affair with. That woman was played by Melissa Peterman making this NBC show a reunion. This sitcom is funny, but I don’t think (so far) it has the same warmth as Reba.
The show, like many stories today, scripts itself to hit all the cultural talking points and it’s no less annoying here. Regardless, the themes that are set into motion are family which hopefully means some good storytelling to come. Melissa Peterman is still fun, but I don’t think (so far) she and Reba recapture the same hilarious “connection” as from Reba. While comparisons may not be fair because the plots are quite different, I think the script kind of asks for this by reuniting former co-stars and making a deal of this in cultural headlines. So, expecting there not to be comparisons is probably unrealistic.
The show has a kind of Cheers setting and will likely deal with the ups and downs of its different characters. There are trust issues and of course, the new sister relationship at play but comedy will be what drives this all. I did laugh out loud a time or two, but based solely on this first impression, Happy’s Place doesn’t wow me.
You can stream, at publication, Happy’s Place on Peacock TV; or on NBC.com
WATCH IF YOU like…
Fans of the short lived Abby’s or Cheers may enjoy this. Those who watched Reba will also like seeing this if only to see the reunion of Peterman and McEntire.
Content: Nothing much to note outside of a few minor innuendos or two. There is mention of an affair and the child that results from this. The show is TV-14.
