Reba McEntire (‘Happy’s Place’) and Melissa Rauch (‘Night Court’) discuss importance of network comedies at NBC Fall Comedy Celebration
Stars of “Happy’s Place,” “Night Court,” “St. Denis Medical” and “Lopez vs. Lopez” attended the NBC Fall Comedy Celebration at Universal Studios in Los Angeles on October 9, 2024. The exclusive event featured pop-up bars and food stations dedicated to each of the titles premiering this fall on NBC and Peacock.
I caught up with “Happy’s Place” star Reba McEntire, who said it feels “wonderful” to return to television with the same crew she worked with on her hit show “Reba” from 2001-2007. “We’ve been looking for another show ever since we got cancelled,” she admits. The country music superstar and actress says she remained friends with “Reba” co-star Melissa Peterman, who joins her in “Happy’s Place” as well. “Melissa and I have been buddies since 2001,” she explains. “We go on vacations together. Even when I was touring, she’d come in and open the show for me and do a bit with me in the middle of the concert. My fans love her.”
“It’s different,” McEntire assures fans ready to catch the premiere on October 18. “People can relate to it. It’s funny and it’s got lots of heart.” And while she’s busy filming her new comedy series, she’s pulling double duty as a coach on NBC’s Emmy-winning singing competition “The Voice.” She admits, “It’s hard. It looked good on paper. [The live shows] start back up pretty soon. Some of the days were pretty rough. I’d go to table read for ‘Happy’s Place,’ go into glam, and go across the alleyway to ‘The Voice.'” Nevertheless, McEntire says she’s enjoying her busy schedule and loves her fellow coaches Snoop Dogg, Michael Buble and Gwen Stefani “with all my heart.”
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I also spoke to “Night Court” star Melissa Rauch about the series’ third season premiering November 19. “I’m over the moon,” she shared. “Getting to do this show was a dream come true in the first place. The fact that we get to come back for season three, I’m just pinching myself. I’m very excited that we get to come back and wrap up the cliffhanger that we left on in season two. It will be a two-parter to find out what happened with that. We start the season with the amazing Wendie Malick. She joins our cast and she’s just phenomenal in every way. We feel so lucky to be in her presence and have her comedic mastery throughout. It’s a true dream job and the fact that I get to do it with all these amazing people is really special.”
“I feel very lucky,” Rauch says about starring in a network comedy. “It’s a really interesting time in this new landscape. I grew up being such a fan of multi-camera sitcoms. The first time I stepped on a multi-camera set I thought, ‘This is what I want to do forever.’ There’s something so special about doing a live taping. It’s really electric. The fact that you have something that you know you can go to on a Tuesday night and know that you’re going to be able to laugh, know that it’s a piece of comfort and nostalgia, I think is really needed right now. Something that we found after doing the first season of ‘Night Court,’ which I was really surprised by, was that people said the original was something they watched with a family member who’s no longer with them, so getting to watch this show feels like a time machine back to a time with that person. I wasn’t thinking it would resonate that way. That’s why I just want to keep our foot on the gas and do the best we can. That love letter to those audience members is something that is very special to my heart.”
The casts from “Lopez vs. Lopez” and “St. Denis Medical” were also in attendance. Those series premiere October 18 and November 12, respectively. “Lopez vs. Lopez” stars George Lopez and Mayan Lopez and “St. Denis Medical” stars Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier. All of the shows will also be available to stream on Peacock.