‘Happy’s Place’ EPs Kevin Abbott and Pamela Fryman Talk ‘Reba’ Reunions on NBC Sitcom (Exclusive)

Reba McEntire’s Happy’s Place has seen some Reba reunions already, with more on the way, and executive producers Kevin Abbott and Pamela Fryman spoke to PopCulture.com all about it.

Happy’s Place, also starring Reba’s Melissa Peterman, will have JoAnna Garcia Swisher guest starring in an upcoming episode.

She is the third Reba star to guest star on Happy’s Place, following Steve Howey and Christopher Rich last season. Additionally, Happy’s Place’s producing team consists of Abbott, Mindy Schultheis, and Michael Hanel, all of whom served as EPs on Reba. So it’s not surprising that Happy’s Place has been the home of several Reba reunions already. Plus, for Abbott, he loves “that cast.”

“That was a great show to work on,” he said. “And I mean, much as this one is, and it all starts because of Reba. She sets the tone, and she’s just so great in every aspect to work with in every aspect. And so to have them back, they were terrific.”

“I love them all so much,” Abbott, who also serves as co-creator and showrunner on Happy’s Place, continued. “They’re such great people, and great actors and actresses. It’s lovely because when we bring them in the middle of the season, when that’s the downtime in the season, it brings a jolt of energy. I wanna make certain that they got something fun to play and that they’re gonna enjoy their time, and they do. And they have such a great time, but it’s special when they’re here.”

“It’s also interesting when Steve Howey was on,” added Fryman. “He is such a wonderful guy, but he was telling us a story one day about how Reba has influenced how he behaves on sets that she once called him out. He was telling all of us this and to always be grateful and to know your stuff and to come in, whatever. And you see the effect of Reba, who is everything you imagine.”

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Steve Howie brought the laughs 😂 #HappysPlace premieres Nov 7 8/7c | NBC and Peacock #SteveHowie #Reba #RebaMcEntire

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Abbott said that McEntire is “really a damn marvelous person,” while Fryman agreed and said she’s “a teacher as well.” She continued, “And all of these people that have come back have really learned from her and are so grateful to her, and it’s also wonderful to see our cast react to that as well. She’s really something.”

As of now, information on JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s appearance has not been shared. She portrayed McEntire’s daughter, Cheyenne, on Reba, so seeing the two of them together will be pretty special. More details are likely to be announced in the coming weeks, but for now, new episodes of Happy’s Place air on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day on Peacock.