Is Happy’s Place A Reba Reboot? Ms. McEntire’s New Comedy, Explained

(Image credit: Netflix)

Reba McEntire is going to be busy on NBC this fall because, on top of her continuing to be a coach on The Voice, her brand-new sitcom Happy’s Place is set to premiere on the 2024 TV schedule. In May, the network picked up McEntire’s new sitcom to series, where she will be reuniting with some familiar faces from Reba, but let’s be clear: it’s not a reboot of the early ‘00s comedy.

Happy’s Place does come from McEntire and Reba executive producers Kevin Abbott, Michael Hanel, and Mindy Schultheis, but the concept is entirely new. Per NBC, in Happy’s Place:

Bobbie (McEntire) inherits her father’s restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.

While the concept is different from Reba — which was all about a mom whose life is thrown into disarray when her husband leaves her — its creative team is similar and it features some of the cast from the sitcom. This includes Melissa Peterman, who can’t wait to work with the singer/actress again.

Peterman will play a bartender named Gabby at said tavern and “would have loved to be Bobbie’s sister,” according to Deadline. In Reba, she played Barbra Jean, Brock’s dental hygienist who had an affair with him but also tried her hardest to form a friendship with Reba. So, the two roles are pretty different from each other, but still as entertaining as ever.

While Happy’s Place is not a Reba reboot, that isn’t stopping fans from streaming the latter. After being added to Netflix, Reba made a streaming comeback and broke the Top 10 not long after Happy’s Place was ordered to series. Whether or not it was just a coincidence is unknown, but it is definitely impressive. It wouldn’t be surprising if the show had another Suits-like resurgence when Happy’s Place premieres later this year.

Discussions of a Reba reboot have been taking place for a long time, which might be why people could have been thinking that Happy’s Place was a one, but the two shows are different from each other. Now that Reba McEntire has a new series, any chances of a Reba reboot will probably be put on hold, at least for now. Perhaps there will be more Reba reunions in Happy’s Place?

Meanwhile, also joining McEntire and Melissa Peterman in the new show will be McEntire’s boyfriend Rex Linn, Belissa Escobedo, Pablo Castelblanco, and Tokala Black Elk. So, while Reba and Happy’s Place might share some similar vibes, this new comedy will have its own voice and cast of new characters.