Reba’s “Happy’s Place” debuts with 10 million viewers, but mixed reviews leave viewers disappointed

Reba McEntire made her highly anticipated return to sitcom television last week.

If you are expecting her new show Happy’s Place to catch lightning in a bottle like her iconic 2000’s sitcom Reba, you might want to pump the brakes a bit. Sure, the new NBC sitcom returns some of the cast members from the old show – like Melissa Peterman – but the early reviews are saying the two shows really aren’t that comparable.

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That being said, the pilot for Happy’s Place performed very well for the network and Peacock, it’s streaming service. According to Deadline, Reba’s new show marked the best comedy launch ever for Peacock, amassing over 1o million cross-platform viewers. So why did the show do so well off the bat?

Reba, that’s why.

Viewership is an important part of determining the success of a show, though it isn’t everything. You also have to look at reviews that both critics and fans are leaving about the new primetime sitcom. And those… we’ll just say they are mixed.

If you look on IMDB, Happy’s Place currently sits at a 5.4 out of 10 rating. That’s about as middle-of-the-mall as it gets. Then if you look at the Google Reviews, which are left more by general fans and viewers of the show, it’s rated a little higher in comparison at 3.2 out of 5 stars.

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While we’re talking about the Google Reviews, I went ahead and gathered up some of the positive words about the show, and the not-so-positive reviews. We’ll first look at the nice things people had to say about Reba’s new NBC sitcom:

“I love this show. It’s so heartwarming to see Reba and Melissa working together again. A much awaited Fall Sitcom to bring laughs and drama into our lives.”

“Watched first episode on Peacock. Love the bar ambiance and cozy set up. Pilot was about introducing characters and pretty much engaging with the plot. Love to see Queen Reba with her own show with Melissa by her side! Comedy at its best! Rex funny as always, and natural like previous shows.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the show! It still had a little of the ‘Reba’ show but it’s a different feel. Looking forward to more episodes to really get into the characters. A diverse cast but down home values. This sitcom is a joy to have in todays world. Everyone needs Reba on their TV screen! Reba is a natural and such a talented artist.”

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However, there were a number of people that really disliked the pilot episode of Happy’s Place. You’ll probably notice a common theme among these negative reviews:

“I loved the original ‘Reba’ show to the point I have most of the episodes memorized. I was excited for this show to happen. But, the only character I liked was the cook, played by Reba’s boyfriend.”

“I wanted to turn it off the entire time, but pushed through. Doubt I return for the second episode. Isabella doesn’t even need to be apart of the cast, honestly. Could’ve done a much better show without that element of surprise. Could’ve done a reboot of Reba with Elizabeth grown up or literally anything else.”

“I think a lot of people have high expectations for this given Reba and Melissa are back together again, but sadly I think that’s why this doesn’t work. After watching ‘Happy’s Place’ it’s so hard not to compare the two. This one is very scripted with forced humor. Nothing grabs you and connects you to the cast making you want more. They would’ve been smart to do a ‘Reba’ reboot instead. There’s a high demand and want for it.”

Reading through those, it seems like the writers for Happy’s Place are in a win-win situation. Either the current show does well and gets picked up for another season, or they give the disgruntled fans what they want and simply reboot the old Reba sitcom.

Regardless, it sounds like there’s an overwhelming agreement that its good to have Reba back in the sitcom universe. Though now that some people have a taste of Reba back on TV, they just want the “SINGLE MOM WHO WORKS TWO JOBS, WHO LOVES HER KIDS AND NEVER STOPS” version.

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