Reba McEntire Finds a New On-Screen Family on NBC’s ‘Happy’s Place’

NEW YORK – Reba McEntire is behind the bar in his latest return to network television, making a series that is a well-calibrated cocktail of drama and comedy.

“The most important things in my life are love, hope, faith, happiness, energy, light. And those are all things that are happening with this show,” says the country music legend.

NBC’s “The Happy Place” – which premieres Friday – finds McEntire’s character, Bobbie, inheriting a tavern in Tennessee from her recently deceased father and discovering in the first episode that she had a second family.

Even more alarming is the fact that her father left ownership of the bar to both Bobbie and her newfound sister, Isabella. Adding to the tension is the fact that the two women are divided by ethnicity and one or two generations.

“I’m shocked. I mean, I didn’t think Dad could do something like that, because he always said family was the most important thing,” Bobbie says. To which Isabella replies: “Maybe that’s why she started with two of them.”

Belissa Escobedo, who plays Isabella, says the new series can be seen as bittersweet, as these two women learn to make peace and move on.

“I think Bobbie reacts to this news very differently than Isabella does, and the audience can see that and understand both sides. I love that Isabella has gotten a few inches into Bobbie’s heart,” says Escobedo.

In the series, Bobbie finally looks at Isabella and realizes what she has done: “I’ve been looking at you like a person imposed on me. Instead, I should look at you as a sister I have been given.”

Escobedo, whose film credits include “Blue beetle” “Hocus Pocus 2” and who has appeared regularly on television shows such as “The Baker and the Beauty,” says working with McEntire is a pleasure.

“She is an angel. She is so sweet, so down to earth. “She does everything with a smile and comes willing to work, but also willing to have fun.”

The new series comes from TV veteran Kevin Abbott with a long list of credits, including producing “Reba,” “Last Man Standing,” “Roseanne” and “Golden Girls.”

The show has a nice vibe of “Cheers,” another NBC stalwart set in a bar, allowing easy reasons for new storylines via guest stars and room for some odd regulars to flourish, including a reunion with McEntire and Melissa Peterman who shined together in “Reba” and Rex Lin, a frequent collaborator.

One of the first production ideas was to cast McEntire as a schoolteacher and have Peterman as director. But “Abbott Elementary” came out on ABC so that idea went out the window. The next proposal was to explore the idea of ​​a secret family, inspired by 23 and me, the ancestry tracing company.

“A lot of people can relate to this: finding out you have a third cousin you didn’t know about. I think that’s what helps shows succeed when they’re relatable. That happens with books, songs and movies: if you identify with them, you will be more successful,” says McEntire.

In addition to Reba, Escobedo and Peterman, the cast also includes Pablo Castelblanco (“Alaska Daily”), Tokala Black Elk (“American Primeval,” “1883”) and Rex Linn (“Young Sheldon,” “Better Call Saul”) . It’s a multicultural ensemble: Castelblanco is from Colombia, Linn is of Sioux descent, and Escobedo has Mexican roots.

“Having that diverse cast has been interesting for us on and off screen because when we’re not doing something (when they’re rewriting or we’re waiting for something or we’re in rehearsals) we sit and visit and talk. from each other and learn from each other. “It’s been an education for all of us,” McEntire says.

McEntire hopes “Reba” fans will see it. Over the course of six seasons, “Reba” performed more than decently for The WB – and later The CW – but faced competition at awards shows from films such as “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Friends,” “Will & Grace”, “Sex and the City”, “Desperate Housewives”, “Malcolm in the Middle”, “Ugly Betty” and “30 Rock”.

The indefatigable McEntire, who is also filming “The Voice” for NBC and presides over its clothing and footwear lines, teamed up with iconic songwriter Carole King to write the new show’s theme song.

In a powerful scene from the new show, a framed child’s drawing in the tavern falls and reveals that it was drawn by Isabella, proof that her father cared about his secret son.

“I think the theme we really explore, while bringing comedy to it, is pain and what comes from pain,” Escobedo says. “When one door closes, another opens; That is one of the things that I think is not touched on.” quite”.