‘Last Man Standing’: ‘Reba’ Fan-Favorite Barbra Jean to Make Guest Appearance on Friday’s 150th Episode

Friday night’s episode of Last Man Standing not only happens to be the sitcom’s 150th, but it also serves as a mini Reba reunion.

Showrunner Kevin Abbott, who previously served as an executive producer on Reba McEntire‘s eponymous sitcom, enlisted former Reba star Melissa Peterman, who memorably played Barbra Jean.

In the episode, which centers around Mandy Baxter (Molly McCook) and her new idea to hire a social media influencer to help get her struggling clothing line off the ground, dad Mike (Tim Allen) wants to instill some old-school business tactics in his middle daughter.

Instead of her going along with Mandy’s plan to hire an influencer, Mike has his and Vannesa’s (Nancy Travis) middle daughter sit in on a meeting with an aggressive sales rep named Celia Powers, played by Peterman.

“When we were conceiving the character, we immediately thought of Melissa,” Abbott told TVLine. “[Executive producer] Matt Berry is my No. 2 on this show, and he was my No. 2 on Reba, and we just love her.”

Throughout the episode, Celia becomes a mentor to Mandy, which Abbott says turns out to be “somewhat off-putting to Mike.”

“Mike’s a little bit more of a straight arrow, whereas Melissa’s character is outrageous. She considers herself a millennial and very hip [with the times], so they’re very funny together.”

Longtime fans of the show will remember another Last Man–Reba reunion featuring McEntire herself, when she appeared a season 5 episode as Mike’s ex-girlfriend, Billie. While McEntire’s guest starring role was a one-off back then, Abbott said he’s hopeful that Peterman’s could turn into a recurring role in the just-announced season 8.

“You don’t necessarily have to script funny for Melissa. She’ll just find the funny,” Abbott said. “We hope to have the character [return].”

Allen announced that the show would return for another season on Thursday.

“Hard to believe Last Man Standing hits 150 episodes this week and it gets better with another upcoming season at FOX!” he said in a statement. “Great news for all of us who are creating these stories and working our pants off to make you all laugh. It’s another big high-five to the legions of loyal fans who have faithfully kept us front and center and huge on the radar. Thanks to our family at Fox who continue to make us feel so at home. Man, if we keep this up, they might have to call our show: Last Man Unable to Stand.”

The series was canceled at ABC after season 6 in May 2017. After the show spent a season off the air, Fox picked up for a new season.

The landmark 150th episode of Last Man Standing, titled “Yass Queen,” airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

Photo credit: Jonathan Leibson / Contributor / Getty