Reba McEntire can’t wait to return to a sitcom. The 69-year-old will star in the new show, Happy’s Place, airing on NBC, a show she is proud to be a part of this fall.
“I love the script, Happy’s Place, because it is something that actually really could happen,” McEntire tells UMG Nashville. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s got a lot of heart to it. It’s about me. I play Bobbie Jo, and my dad is Happy, and he has owned this tavern for many, many years. He’s kind of retired, so I’ve been kind of handling it.
“Well, my daddy dies, and I go to the lawyer’s office to make sure all the will is just right and sign the papers, and I have quite a surprise,” she adds. “I find out that my daddy did have two families. There you go.”
McEntire, who recently revealed the show had been picked up as a series by NBC, is bringing along her boyfriend, Rex Linn, plus her Reba co-star Melissa Peterman, as well as several of her other co-workers from her former hit TV show.
“It’s the same showrunners, same writers and same producers as the Reba show,” McEntire previously told Entertainment Tonight. “So it’s going to be that heartfelt, fun, funny, laugh at our silliness, but also be touched by the heart in the show. That’s what I really loved about Reba. Remember when you would watch Andy Griffith, and he always would have a lesson, about how he dealt with something that Opie was going through? So that’s what we were really looking forward to doing every episode on the Reba show, and now Happy’s Place.”
McEntire has plenty of other things to keep her busy besides a new TV show. The Grand Ole Opry member is back with a brand-new single, “I Can’t,” which is from her next album. She also recently announced she is returning as a coach for Season 26 of The Voice, marking her third consecutive season to sit in a red swivel chair.
“It is a different part of me coming out because it’s non-scripted,” McEntire shared with Everything Nash and other outlets during a recent virtual media event, speaking about being part of the hit TV show. “It is. You just go have fun, which I like to do that… It is just hysterical. And they come up with some of the funniest skits for us to get to do. So it just brought out my personality that a lot of people haven’t seen. If you see a concert, you’ll see a little bit of it. It’s just me being a me.”
McEntire will be joined for Season 26 by Gwen Stefani and two new coaches: Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé, who will both make their coaching debut.
A premiere date for Happy’s Place has yet to be announced. Find all of McEntire’s music and upcoming shows at Reba.com