‘Happy’s Place’: Jane Lynch Previews Return & Why Bobbie’s ‘Staring Daggers’ at Her

The always cuttingly funny Jane Lynch returns for the second of her two guest episodes of Happy’s Place as the delightfully horrible Val, bartender Gabby’s (Melissa Peterman) narcissistic mother. Mommy dearest has become Mommy nearest by rooming with Gabby indefinitely, but the tight space leads her to consider buying tavern-owner Bobbie’s (Reba McEntire) late dad Happy’s vacant home.

“Gabby wants me to buy it because Gabby is committed to fixing our relationship and is going to live with me,” Lynch says. “Gabby, God bless her, like she’s done all her life, starts to think, maybe my mother has changed, and I can get water from that very dry well. Of course, she can’t.”

In real life, the actors had known each other for years and were thrilled to finally work together.

“She was great on Reba. When I heard that I was going to play her mom, we were so excited. We emailed. She made sure that I had the energy drink that I liked every morning. She bought a whole case of it, had it put in my room,” reports Lynch. It was also her first time working with McEntire. Lynch says, “She’s the genuine article. She wears her immense fame and success beautifully.”

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Lynch says she drew inspiration for portraying Val from people she’s known in real life. Experiences with the “Vals” of the world even became a topic of discussion on set. “It was funny because we all talked, and everybody has encountered this kind of a relationship in their life,” Lynch shares. “It’s where you think you’re the one with the problem and they lead you to believe that you are, and they’ll speak very compassionately and with great logic about how it’s your problem. Those of us who are empaths in this life, we fall prey to that and we’re perfect food for that kind of personality disorder. It obviously could be a very serious dark thing, but in Happy’s Place, it’s really funny.”

Hilarious finishing touches to the character of Val are her pricey wardrobe and accessories. “For me, a lot of the character comes together in a costume fitting. I wanted a handbag in every scene because that’s her thing. You know how a woman carries a handbag? This woman doesn’t,” Lynch says with a laugh about Val’s affected purse positioning.

No matter how much cash is in that bag, Bobbie, who needs the house sold, is not pumped about the potential new living arrangement. Lynch reflects, “Bobbie smelled the danger of Val. So, she’s looking out for her friend.” During a home tour scene, “I love how persnickety and kind of insulting [Val is] as I’m walking around the house. There’s a lot of wonderful memories [for Bobbie], and I’m looking at it like, well, I’ll have to change this and that. I love catching Reba’s eye and she’s staring daggers at me, but of course, Val doesn’t notice,” says Lynch who confirms she’d be in a happy place if asked to return to the series. If that happens, we need a guest star to play Gabby’s therapist. Tell us in the comments who you would cast!

Happy’s Place, Fridays, 8/7c, NBC