What is Reba McEntire’s The Hammer about on Lifetime?
By Sabrina Reed
Reba McEntire’s The Hammer is finally debuting tonight on Lifetime! The TV-PG film sees the country legend in the role of Kim Wheeler, the newly appointed 5th District Judge of Nevada. It’s a position which requires Kim to travel quite a bit.
She steps into cover a circuit that stretches between Las Vegas and Reno when the previous judge dies under suspicious circumstances. The region Kim has taken over is a desolate area where everything imaginable can happen. It doesn’t take long for folks to nickname her “The Hammer” once they come face-to-face with her no-nonsense attitude and sense of justice.
When the investigation into the former judges death begins to heat up, Kim finds herself at the center of a case that involves her her sister, Kris (Melissa Peterman), in some way. She runs the local brothel and is a prime suspect. It’s up to Kim to get to the bottom of what happened to ensure the appropriate justice is served to the right person.
Here’s more on the film!
Reba McEntire’s The Hammer Lifetime release date
The movie premieres Saturday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. Reba McEntire’s The Hammer will re-air on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 12:01 a.m. and 10 p.m. It’ll also be available to stream on mylifetime.com. Watch the trailer below for a look at the movie:
Is Reba McEntire’s The Hammer based on a true story?
Yes. The film is inspired by the life of Kim Wanker, one of the last traveling circuit judges in the U.S. Wanker serves as a 5th Judicial District Judge covering Nye, Mineral, and Esmeralda Counties in Nevada.
In the Las Vegas Review Journal, she’s described as, ” a no-nonsense judge who doesn’t suffer liars in her courtroom, who may well offer one chance at redemption but rarely a second. She’s an adjudicator whose quiet smiling demeanor can change swiftly if she’s pushed too far,” and is referred to as The Hammer. Hence the title of this Lifetime film.
McEntire’s role as Kim Wheeler is a reflection of Wanker’s personality and life as a traveling judge who hears nearly a 1,000 cases a year and has to rely solely on her bailiff to ensure her safety in the courtroom.
Reba McEntire’s The Hammer cast
The cast per IMDb:
- Reba McEntire as Kim Wheeler
- Melissa Peterman as Kris
- Rex Linn as Bart Crawford
- Matty Finochio as Ellis Dinkins
- Jill Morrison as Jo
- Garfield Wilson as Goodlander
- Vanesa Tomasino as Melba Long
- Kay Shioma Metchie as Vicky
- Toby Marks as Angel
- Aaron Paul Stewart as Langdon Marshall
- Matt Kennedy as Deputy Wayne
- Alan Colodey as Virgil
- Nikki Bryce as Sheriff Mae
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