Happy's Place is coming in October (and more to know about the NBC comedy)!
By Sabrina Reed
Updated: July 15, 2024 -- We're in the middle of summer but that doesn't mean the networks haven't started to share more about their Fall TV plans. One highly anticipated series is Happy's Place, a multi-cam comedy that sees Reba McEntire return to the genre on broadcast in a lead role.
She's playing Bobbie, a woman who has inherited her father's restaurant but there's a twist! Bobbie will have to run the tavern with a business partner, Isabella, the half-sister she never knew about. The series sounds like it's going to be a mix between a family sitcom and a workplace comedy as the drama of a long, lost sister plot unfolds in hilarious ways.
Here's what we you need to know about the show!
Happy's Place release date
The comedy is getting a later start on NBC's fall schedule than we expected. Happy's Place will premiere on Friday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET ahead of Lopez vs. Lopez season 3 return. This may be because of the major overhaul on the pilot that's happened. Writer Marisa Hoffman reports that, at the TCA Summer Press Tour, McEntire described the original pilot as good but the new one is great.
Cast
Happy's Place cast at a glance:
- Reba McEntire as Bobbie
- Belissa Escobedo as Isabella
- Melissa Peterman as Gabby
- Rex Linn as Emmett, the restaurant's cook
- Tokala Black Elk as Takoda, a waiter
- Pablo Castelblanco as Steve, an accountant
TVLine reports Belissa Escobedo's Isabella is a 20something psychology student who is quite jazzed to be working at the restaurant. She never misses a moment to analyze people, and she's got big ideas for how to turn the place into a thriving business. I suspect these ideas are going to clash with Bobbie's to great comedic effect.
Melissa Peterman's involvement in the show marks yet another reunion between the Reba co-stars. Peterman plays Gabby, a bartender at the restaurant who's described as being a bit needy and dramatic. She'd love it if Bobbie were her sister but, alas, she's not.
Writer and critic Laura Sirikul has shared insights on Tokala Black Elk's Takoda and Pablo Castelblanco's Steve. Takoda is described as the nicest guy at Happy's Place which is a departure from his previous work playing villains and bad guys, and he's happy to be on a sitcom.
As for Steve, he has OCD and dislikes change. His struggle to adjust to Isabella's addition to their work family will be a part of his arc in the first season, according to Sirikul.
Happy's Place guest cast could be star-studded. McEntire teased during the TCA panel that her The Voice co-stars--Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg--are interested in making an appearance on the show. She also revealed that there will be a stage at the tavern so it's possible we could be in for musical performances from more than McEntire. She stated that she will be singing in the series.
Per Sirikul's tweet, the show's tavern setting was chosen because the team wanted "different and diverse groups of people to come in." This would also easily explain any musical guests the show might cast.
Is Reba McEntire be leaving The Voice?
The Queen of Country won't be stepping down as a coach for The Voice season 26. She'll be joined by Snoop Dogg, Michael Bublé, and veteran coach Gwen Stefani, so she'll be pulling double duty between the singing competition and her new comedy. However, the same can't be said for the show's twenty-seventh season which premieres in 2025. She won't be on the coaches panel (here's who will be!).
New music from the Queen of Country will be in Happy's Place
Happy's Place isn't just going to be imbued with the same soul that Reba had because the Queen of Country is reuniting with Melissa Peterman and the comedy's executive producers Kevin Abbott, Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis--with Abbott writing the series and his wife, Julie Abbott, joining the creative team.
McEntire, ahead of the show's series order, shared with People that she will be incorporating her music into the series as well. "I'm a Survivor," the iconic theme song from Reba, remains a cultural touchstone. In a television era that's pretty much abandoned the hook that is an opening song, it feels fitting that Happy's Place will be the sitcom that blesses us with a new, catchy intro that stays a part of the pop culture lexicon for years to come.
"Oh, definitely. I'll be singing the theme song. We've started working on it, and we'll have it soon finished. If they say it's a go, I'll finish it up and have it ready for when we go to series."
We'll keep you posted as news comes in about Happy's Place. Personally, I'm intrigued by the show's premise. Particularly as McEntire does have restaurant experience herself. She'd shared with The Oklahoman--"I have a lot more knowledge about running a restaurant and a tavern than before, so, yeah, I think it'll help"--in reference to her eatery, Reba's Place, in Atoka. Perhaps there will be real life restaurant gaffs and goofs written into the series.
Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more TV coverage!
feed