INDIANAPOLIS — From the "Queen of Country" to the "Queen of NBC," Reba McEntire is back in a network comedy!
"Happy's Place" follows Bobbie (McEntire) inheriting her father's tavern — but she's not the sole owner, as she previously expected. At the reading of the will, Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) shows up, and both ladies learn they are half-sisters and now co-owners of Happy's Place.
"I learned a lot. That's one thing about this show: I always learned something from it. There's a lesson in there, that's what I like about it. It reminds me of 'The Andy Griffith Show,'" McEntire said.
With supporting roles in "Hocus Pocus 2," "Blue Beetle" and "American Horror Stories," this is undoubtedly Escobedo's biggest role as a main cast member in a network comedy series.
"It is just an absolute honor to be part of something so special, Ms. Reba's return to television," Escobedo said. "Showing a blended family is so important and the merging of our two cultures in an unexpected situation. When you hear, 'Reba's my half-sister,' people go, 'what?' I love that so much about this show, so it feels really special to be part of that."
Along with her decades-long and award-winning country music career, McEntire is also known for "Reba," which ran for 127 episodes across six seasons in the early 2000s.
Melissa Peterman, who played Reba's best friend in the self-titled comedy series, is reuniting with McEntire in "Happy's Place" as her co-worker at the tavern.
"It's been a lot of fun. It's like riding a bicycle. You just pick up where you left off, and talk about the kids. Everybody's kids grew up since we were on the 'Reba' show together," said McEntire on reuniting with some of the cast and crew for both comedies. "I'm back home. I love doing sitcoms. They're so much fun. We get in here, we play. I look forward coming to work every morning."
"Happy's Place" premieres Friday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.