The Surprising Way Reba McEntire Is Able to Film The Voice And Her New Comedy Happy’s Place At The Same Time

(Image credit: NBC)

Reba McEntire has been a beloved fixture in popular culture for decades, not just as the country music superstar who belts out hits like “Fancy” and “Does He Love You,” but also for her acting on series like Reba and Big Sky. We simply can’t get enough of the Queen of Country, and that’s what NBC is banking on with its fall 2024 TV schedule that sees McEntire serving as a coach on The Voice as well as starring in the new sitcom Happy’s Place. One could imagine that filming two shows simultaneously would be pretty demanding, so how exactly is she able to do it?

Luckily the filming schedule for Reba McEntire’s two NBC series doesn’t keep her hopping around the country like when she was touring and filming Big Sky a couple of years ago. In fact, The Voice tapes right across the alley from Happy’s Place on the NBC lot. McEntire told TV Insider:

Some days [the shoots] are overlapping. But it’s so much better than two years ago when I was doing Big Sky in Albuquerque for ABC, and then flying to the East Coast for concerts on the weekend. This is a piece of cake.

Reba McEntire lucked out with the lots being right next to each other, because it sounds like if they were much further apart, there’s no way she’d be able to do both with their overlapping schedules. She seems really excited to be able to commit to both, however, as she marveled to First for Women:

I’m doing The Voice in this building…and I walk across the alley and I’m doing Happy’s Place in this building. And I have a house here. This is a walk in the park compared to when I was doing Big Sky, so I’ve got my chops up and my endurance ready! It’s perfect.

You’ve got to love the enthusiasm that Reba McEntire has for her fall projects, because there’s no doubt that fans are excited to see her back in the sitcom space. The actress is reuniting with Reba co-star Melissa Peterman as well as showrunner Kevin Abbott for Happy’s Place, not to mention getting to act alongside her real-life partner Rex Linn.

The series, however, is not a Reba reboot, and instead will see her inherit her father’s tavern, as well as a half-sister (Belissa Escobedo) she didn’t know about. With her two shows filming so close to each other, there also seems to be the possibility for crossovers between Happy’s Place and The Voice.

Queen Reba will be back in her Big Red Throne for The Voice Season 26, as she’ll try to make it two victories in a row after last season’s win with Asher HaVon. McEntire will be joined by returning coach Gwen Stefani and newbies Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé when Blind Auditions kick off at 8 p.m. ET Monday, September 23, on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription. Happy’s Place, meanwhile, will debut at 8 p.m. ET Friday, October 18.