All the bar’s a stage. Tavern owner Bobbie (Reba McEntire) encourages accountant Steve (Pablo Castelblanco) to audition for a local mattress store commercial to keep him busy. The role: a Roaring Twenties time-traveler discovering the magic of modern ways to hit the hay. The regret: Bobbie gets sucked into helping him prepare.
“Steve judges her acting chops as she reads lines with him. Hint: He’s not a big fan,” reveals Happy’s Place executive producer Kevin Abbott. He also reports that Castelblanco’s performance had him cracking up: “Pablo always comes up with some unexpected behavior or spin. What he did physically to embody a Roaring Twenties time-traveler had me bent over laughing all week.”
Abbott adds that the writers and cast had “so much fun with the storyline that we wanted to do even more with people ‘acting’ in the show.” That led to writing an episode, “Social Discontent,” guest-starring Joanna Garcia Swisher (who played McEntire’s daughter Cheyenne on the country music queen’s early aughts sitcom Reba, see the cast below) as a Knoxville influencer who has everyone shoot spots to promote Happy’s on social media.
© Fox Television / Courtesy Everett Collection
Steve’s not the only critic this week. Bobbie’s little sis/co-tavern owner Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) gives chef Emmett (Rex Linn) notes on his new appetizer, Armadillo Eggs. “Emmett is not a man to take kindly to anyone who doesn’t immediately understand the genius behind his cooking,” Abbott teases.
So, will Isabella and her professor beau ever reunite? (Their relationship was revealed in the December 19 episode “Izzy and the Professor,” which also featured a reunion of Taxi stars Christopher Lloyd and Carol Kane as a feisty couple who show up at the tavern.) “Isabella and the professor have sadly gone their separate ways, but that doesn’t mean he may not reappear in the future,” Abbott says.
And for those of us yearning for more of Bobbie and Emmett’s romance, Abbott promises, “They have a lot of interesting stuff coming very soon!”
Happy’s Place, Friday, 8/7c, NBC
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