“I Had a Murder, She Wrote Lunchbox until Somebody Stole It, and I Couldn’t Figure Out Who.”
I was hopeful when I heard that Reba was leading a new sitcom this fall. While I didn’t wind up enjoying Malibu Country, I am still a huge fan of Reba, her sitcom from the 2000’s. While it took me a few episodes, I came to look forward to my weekly visit to Happy’s Place with season 1.
The show is set in a local bar in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reba plays Bobbie, who has just inherited the bar from her father, Happy. There’s just one catch; her father had a second daughter from an affair. Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) is much younger, and Happy has left half the bar to her.
Naturally, Bobbie is shocked by this news. Isabella wants to help run the place, but she has no idea what she is doing. How will this impact the staff?
Rounding out the characters, we have Emmett (Rex Linn), the chef who mainly wants to be left alone, Gabby (Melissa Peterman), the bartender, Steve (Pablo Castelblanco), the accountant for the bar with OCD and a germ phobia, and Takoda (Tokala Black Elk), the server.
As I said, the show took a few episodes to really find itself, but then, most shows do, especially sitcoms. Those early episodes were focused on the relationship between Bobbie and Isabella. They felt a bit forced to me. But once they really started getting the rest of the cast more fully involved in the episodes, things started to click. I still don’t feel like they are using Takoda well, but the rest of the characters all get their moments to shine with both laughs and more tender moments.
And the cast is definitely building their comedic chemistry. It is a joy to watch each week.
Yes, the setting does immediately make me think of Cheers, and the theme song (sung by Reba, of course) doesn’t help at all. But the characters are different enough that it works. I think you can appreciate both without feeling like one is a rip off of the other. I know I do.
Fans of the sitcom Reba will recognize Melissa Peterman as Barbara Jean from that show. With several of the same creative team behind the scenes, is it any surprise that Gabby is a very similar character? Not that I’m complaining. I laugh at her antics here just as much as now as I did then.
Speaking of which, we got both Christopher Rich and Steve Howey to guest star this season. I enjoyed seeing both of them pop up and the nods to the earlier classic. Steve’s episode in particular is my favorite of the first season.
Season one consisted of eighteen episodes. I was sorry when it ended, but I’m cheered knowing that it will be back for season two.
A heads up, this is a filmed in front of an audience multi-cam sitcom with a “laugh track.” I know some people hate those, but I find them hilarious. If that isn’t your thing, know that before you sit down to watch.
Classic sitcoms have been struggling recently. I’m glad to see Happy’s Place proving they aren’t completely dead yet. If you’ve missed this one, you’ll want to fix that today.
I've never seen Reba. I should check it out sometime. :)
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