Reba reunion Happy's Place lands Shameless vet

Get ready for a Reba reunion on the new comedy Happy’s Place that should enthrall fans!

Reba McEntire is the rare case of a performer just as famous for TV shows as the world of country music. After establishing herself as one of the biggest country music stars ever with more number-one hits and awards than can be counted, McEntire decided to give TV a try in 2001 with the WB comedy Reba. 

She played Reba Hart, a Houston native who’s thrown when, during a counseling session, she learns her husband Brock (Christopher Rich) has gotten his nutty dental assistant Barbara Jean (Melissa Peterman) pregnant. Before she can recover from that, Reba learns her daughter Cheyenne (JoAnna Garcia) is pregnant by her dimwitted jock boyfriend Van (Steve Howey). Reba has to handle this strange new family dynamic, not helped by how Barbara Jean thinks they’re friends. 

The show was a hit, running six seasons on The WB and The CW. After its end, McEntire has kept up her acting and music, including the short-lived sitcom Malibu Shores and a recent villainous role on Big Sky.

Now, McEntire is returning to the sitcom world in the new NBC comedy Happy’s Place. She plays Bobbie, who inherits her late father’s friendly tavern. She’s rocked to learn her partner in this is Isabella (Belissa Escobedo), the half-sister she never knew she had. 

The show already offers a Reba reunion as Peterman will co-star as Gabby, the bartender who treats Isabella with hostility as she wants to be Bobbie’s sister. It looks to be a fun show and now word is coming of another Reba face coming in!

Which Reba star comes to Happy’s Place?

As reported by TVLine, Steve Howey will appear in the series. The actor appeared in Shameless and was last seen as the lead in CBS’s short-lived True Lies and series creator Kevin Abbott explained the unique way he fits into the storyline. 

"One of the arcs for [Peterman’s] character Gabby is that she thinks she wants to have a baby… and the Steve Howey character [Danny] becomes a potential sperm donor."

The character appears in the Christmas episode titled “Ho-Ho-Howey.” Abbott said they are hoping to bring the character back but have no other plans yet. He also hasn’t said if other Reba actors will appear, but they are hopeful.

"It’s a lot of fun. We absolutely want to bring some of the old cast members on — and in very different roles than what they played on Reba. Steve’s our first one up, and we’re trying to figure out how to bring JoAnna [Garcia-Swisher] in. We only want to have the old cast in if we can really utilize them in a fun, impactful way."

It would be great to see more Reba actors show up, as obviously, the new series will have some fun paying tribute to the past roles and the connections they have. Seeing Rich as a new love interest for Bobbie would be fun or Swisher as a rebellious type. Either way, Reba fans are hopeful that the new Happy’s Place becomes a great reunion for fans of the beloved sitcom.

Happy’s Place premieres Friday, Oct. 18 at 8/7c on NBC.