Summary
WhileRebamight be fondly remembered, it is a good thing that Reba McEntire’s new showHappy’s Placeis changing one element of the hit sitcom’s familiar formula.Reba’s entire cast of characterswere 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 inReba’s iconic theme song, which spawned TikTok memes even years after the series ended.
The enduring popularity ofRebaresulted in more than online trends. The show’s star had a second, less successful star vehicle in 2012’sMalibu 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 Countrywas canceled after one season and McEntire spent a few years focusing on music before gaining a guest role inYoung Sheldon. This part resulted in McEntire headlining a new sitcom, albeit one that changes her formula.
Reba McEntire’s New Sitcom Sounds Like A Replacement For Ashton Kutcher’s 8-Year-Old Western Show
Reba McEntire’s upcoming sitcom has a lot in common with Ashton Kutcher’s former Netflix show that premiered eight years ago and ran for four seasons.
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 sitcomHappy’s Placesounds promising precisely because the show isn’t a carbon copy ofRebaorMalibu Country. While both of those shows saw McEntire play women who were divorced due to infidelity on the part of their partners,Happy’s Placegives Reba McEntire a happier romance. Meanwhile,Happy’s Placealso makes a pivotal change to another aspect of the singer/ actor’s typical sitcom heroines. Unlike the protagonists of bothRebaandMalibu Country, Reba McEntire’s character isn’t a mother in the upcoming sitcomHappy’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 ofHappy’s Placedoesn’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 ofRebaandMalibu Country. If viewers wanted a show likeReba, a straightforward revival would have been better than a copycat. As such,Happy’s Placeis right to change Reba McEntire’s screen persona.Reba’s Hart familywere lovable and compelling, butHappy’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 bothRebaandMalibu Country, McEntire’s characters were typically in conflict with their flawed ex-husbands. In contrast,Happy’s Placepits 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.
InHappy’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 showdidn’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, althoughRebaandMalibu Countryfeatured 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 Placecan change Reba McEntire’s screen persona and offer viewers a new side of heras Bobbie learns to work with her half-sister.
There is no denying thatReba McEntire’s first hit sitcom was iconic, but its followup failed mainly becauseMalibu Countrytried to revisitReba’s formula.Happy’s Placeis 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 Countrydidn’t set the world alight when the show arrived in 2012 and its underwhelming reception was due, in part, to its excessive similarities withReba’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 likeRebato feel original, but not as satisfying as a straight revival of the sitcom. SinceHappy’s Placeisn’t aRebarevival, 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 forRebafans to enjoy inHappy’s Place.Happy’s Placeis amulticam sitcom likeGeorgie and Mandy’s First Marriagein an era when this format is becoming vanishingly rare.Happy’s Placealso starsReba’s Melissa Peterman in a supporting role, meaning McEntire will be reunited with her most memorable costar from the original series.Happy’s Placeis also created by Kevin Abbott, who co-created bothRebaandMalibu Country. As such,Rebaviewers can rest assured thatHappy’s Placewill still be the same sort of Reba McEntire vehicle they have grown to love.
