Reba McEntire Has A New Sitcom On The Way — & “Barbra Jean” Will Be There, Too

At long last, Reba McEntire is returning to the sitcom world — and she'll have a familiar face by her side. Yep, the rumors are true... Reba and Barbra Jean will soon be together again! Capitalizing on the recent nostalgic fandom of McEntire's early-2000s show, Reba, NBC is launching Happy's Place, starring the country music icon and her former costar Melissa Peterman.

If "your roots are planted in your past," you probably still fondly remember The CW's wholesome hit show that the women starred in together from 2001 to 2007. Centered on a "single mom who works too hard, who loves her kids and never stops," Reba followed along as the recognizable redhead recovered from being cheated on by and divorced from her dolt of a husband, Brock (Christopher Rich). He goes on to marry his dental-hygienist mistress, Barbra Jean (played by Peterman), after getting her pregnant — and unfortunately for Reba, all Barbra Jean wants in life is to be BFFs with her husband's ex.

Thanks to the series' arrival on Netflix, it's seeing a resurgence in popularity, even landing on Netflix's Top 10 list as recently as May 2024. So, it seems the time is right to revisit a sitcom with McEntire at its center. Here's what you need to know about McEntire's new series, Happy's Place, which has already been picked up for a full season on NBC.

What is Happy's Place about?

Happy's Place follows McEntire as Bobbie, a woman who inherits her father's bar when he dies. There are just a few twists along the way. For starters, Bobbie's father, Happy, also left the bar to his *other* daughter, Isabella.

Played by Belissa Escobedo (Blue Beetle, Hocus Pocus 2), Isabella is Bobbie's half-sister, whom Bobbie had no idea existed until the reading of their father's will. Per the sitcom's official description, 20-something Isabella, who studied psychology and enjoys analyzing people, can't wait to bring some of her "great" ideas to the tavern.

Bobbie must also contend with mouthy bartender Gabby (Peterman), described as needy and dramatic, who wishes she and Bobbie were sisters. Sound familiar?

So, if you're hoping for more signature eyebrow raises from Reba, you can absolutely expect them.

Who stars in Happy's Place?

NBC hasn't shared a full cast billing for Happy's Place yet, but we do know the leading players:

• McEntire as Bobbie
• Peterman as Gabby
• Escobedo as Isabella
• Rex Linn as Emmett (McEntire's real-life boyfriend and costar in ABC's now-canceled Big Sky)
• Tokala Black Elk as Takoda
• Pablo Castelblanco as Steve

Worth noting: While we won't see him on camera, the show was created by Kevin Abbott, who was also at the helm of Reba. And with this mini-reunion of the Reba cast and crew, many people already speculate that some of Reba's other cast members could make cameos.

Since the show went off the air in 2007, McEntire has remained close to her former costars. In fact, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, her former onscreen daughter Cheyenne, recently told Scary Mommy that they'd all be more than happy to do a reboot.

When does Happy's Place premiere?

NBC has yet to announce a premiere date, but Happy's Place is slated to air this fall on Friday nights at 8/7c.

Where can you see Reba and Barbra Jean together right now?

The first official teaser for Happy's Place is the usual "what it's all about"-type preview that features McEntire and Escobedo more than any other pairing. But you can see peeks of McEntire and Peterman together behind the bar.

McEntire and Peterman both appear on Young Sheldon, as well, though their characters have never been on screen together. That series finale was on May 16. You can also see more of McEntire and Peterman working together on reruns of Baby Daddy and The Hammer.

If you specifically want more of Reba and Barbra Jean, your only bet is a rewatch of Reba, which is now available to stream on Hulu and Netflix. If you have cable, Hallmark runs reruns of Reba throughout the week.

You can catch McEntire sans Peterman as a coach on The Voice, alongside Dan + Shay, John Legend, and Chance The Rapper. Damn... she really does work too hard.