‘So indescribable and special': ‘Happy's Place' stars Belissa Escobedo and Melissa Peterman on working with Reba McEntire
"It feels very nostalgic," says Melissa Peterman of the new sitcom Happy's Place, which has hit the airwaves "in a time where I think people are hungry for that feeling." What's unique about the series, which reunites Peterman with her Reba costar Reba McEntire, is that it features "a lot of characters that we haven't often seen in a sitcom. I love the makeup of our cast. I love what each actor brings to that character from their own life, and their own upbringing and background, which I think is very unique."
Another costar, Belissa Escobedo, grew up watching sitcoms because her mother loved them so much, and as she told Gold Derby, "something I always found was I want to see more people who look like me on these sitcoms." That's certainly the case with Happy's Place, which has six main cast members, three of which are people of color. That, Escobedo states, "is really amazing, because this is our world as well. We can be this joyous and funny and carefree. So it feels really special to be apart of it as my first sitcom."
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Happy's Place stars McEntire as Bobbie McAllister, who inherits a bar from her father, Happy, after he dies. Upon returning to Knoxville, Tenn., she discovers she has a much-younger half-sister, Isabella (Escobedo), who also inherits half of the bar. As they navigate their newfound roles as co-owners and half-sisters, they're helped along by their chatty bartender, Gabby (Peterman). "These are three women at very different points in their life," Peterman explains, "and they all have something to learn from each other. Ultimately, it is about these three women, and what they give to each other and bring to each other."
The nostalgia of Happy's Place comes from its classical format. Unlike the single-camera comedies that have become the norm, Happy's Place is a multicam that's taped in front of a live studio audience. "It's so electric," divulges Escobedo, who, like Peterman, has her roots in theater. To merge the rush of live performance with television "is something so indescribable and special," and it's all because of "that energy you get from the audience." Even with all of the read throughs and rehearsals, "it's never as good as it's going to be on show night." When the audience comes in for the taping, "something different just happens. The world starts making more sense, the jokes start landing." She firmly believes that, "we wouldn't get the performances that we do without the audience there."
SEE Reba McEntire ('Happy's Place') and Melissa Rauch ('Night Court') discuss importance of network comedies at NBC Fall Comedy Celebration
Peterman has experience with both formats, having starred on the single-cam Big Bang Theory spinoff Young Sheldon. "I love every medium for different reasons," she divulges, as each stretches "a different muscle." At the same time, "there is nothing like a multicam," which is essentially "a one-act play. I've known Reba for a long time, and she's meant to be on a stage. So when she comes alive, I come alive." The audience is also a great indicator as to whether or not the episode is funny, because, "when a joke works or it doesn't work, they let you know, and they let you know right away." For Peterman, "it sharpens your performance in a way" that's different from single-cams or movies.
Having worked in the industry for so long, Peterman remembers a time when "there could be a Tuesday night or a Friday night, and there could be 20 sitcoms with a live studio audience. You could come into L.A. and have your choice of what shows to go see." Because the experience is so rare, "we want it to be fun for [the audience]. We've had people who are flying in from out of state" because "they want to see Reba. I feel very grateful that we get to do it." It's part of what makes Happy's Place such a throwback to "the shows that I go back to all the time, whether it was during the pandemic or any stressful moment, which I think we are encountering a lot."
It certainly helps that the show is led by McEntire, who has been a TV staple for decades. What struck Escobedo immediately about her onscreen sibling was "her humility," as well as "the passion and joy she has for what she's doing. She's been doing it for so long, and it's easy to lost the spark," yet, "she walks in every day so happy to be here. She knows how special it is, and that reminds us of how special what we're doing is. It's awesome to work with someone who's leading the show that's happy to be on the show, and loves it just as much as anybody."
Peterman's working relationship with McEntire goes back decades, encompassing not just Reba, but the podcast Living & Learning as well. "It does trickle down from the top," she proclaims. "We're here to have fun, and everyone is empowered to do their job." In addition to her singing talents, "she's instinctively really funny, which makes her such a great choice for a sitcom." Yet the broad comedy only works "if it has heart," which McEntire is always striving for. "I've been lucky to hitch myself to that wagon a couple of times, and it's a great place to be."
As the show heads into its second season, Peterman is "expecting some big-gun guest stars" to make appearances, including some "blast from the pasts from our Reba cast." One guest star she's hoping will play her often hinted at but never-seen mother is Hacks star Jean Smart. "That would be my everything," she admits. More than anything, she hopes as Happy's Place continues, it will become a show that "people will want to watch over and over again. I can rewatch the six or seven seasons of a sitcom over and over again. I hope that we can do that."
Happy's Place is streaming on Peacock.
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