Reba McEntire & Melissa Peterman to Reunite in NBC Comedy Pilot
It’s a Reba reunion as long-time friends and former co-stars Melissa Peterman and Reba McEntire will star together in the latter’s upcoming untitled NBC comedy pilot.
Peterman and McEntire previously co-starred in the Queen of Country’s self-titled sitcom, which aired from 2001 to 2007 on The WB (and later The CW). The pair also host the Living & Learning With Reba McEntire podcast together.
The upcoming multi-cam comedy centers around Bobbie (McEntire), who inherits her father’s restaurant and is less than thrilled to find that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.
According to Deadline, Peterman will play Gabby, a bartender who has worked at the tavern for quite some time. She is a bit needy and dramatic and would have loved to be Bobbie’s sister.
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In addition to Peterman and McEntire, the pilot will star Blue Beetle actress Belissa Escobedo, portraying Bobbie’s sister, Isabella. She’s described as an enthusiastic 20-something who has studied psychology and loves to analyze people. She is thrilled to start working at the tavern and is full of “great” ideas about how to bring it to life.
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Other cast members include McEntire’s real-life boyfriend, Rex Linn (CSI: Miami), as cook Emmett; Tokala Black Elk (Yellowstone) as waiter Takoda; and Pablo Castelblanco (Alaska Daily) as accountant Steve.
Kevin Abbott, Michael Hanel, and Mindy Schultheis, who all served as executive producers on Reba, are on board with the new project, which is produced by Universal Television. Julie Abbott will also serve as an executive producer.
This isn’t the first on-screen reunion between McEntire and Peterman. Last year, both women starred in the Lifetime movie The Hammer, playing sisters who get caught up in a complicated murder plot.
They also have recurring roles on CBS’ Young Sheldon, though they haven’t appeared on-screen together. However, that might change in the sitcom’s final season, as executive producer Steve Holland recently spoke about how he’d love to see McEntire reprise her role as June Ballard before the show ends in May.
