Photo: NBC
Reba McEntire sparks an on-screen romance with her real-life fiancĂŠ, Rex Linn, in a new Happyâs Place sneak peek shared by NBC on Tuesday (November 4).
McEntire plays Bobbie, âa tough but lovable woman who inherits her late fatherâs Tennessee tavern - only to discover that her new co-owner is also the half-sister she never knew she had,â per NBC. âThey couldnât be more different, but theyâll navigate this new life together... because at Happyâs Place, everyone is family.â Linn plays Emmett, a short-order cook often known for his heartfelt advice. The cast of the sitcom also includes Belissa Escobedo, Pablo Castelblanco, Tokala Black Elk and Melissa Peterman, who also starred with McEntire on Reba. Julie Abbott and Kevin Abbott teamed up to create the comedy. McEntire and Linn have previously teased the relationship between their two characters in the upcoming second season.
McEntire said in an interview with iHeartCountry earlier this year that âit is very important to have heart in there,â when creating a successful sitcom. âYou gotta laugh, but you gotta cry. Youâve got to hit all of those emotions.â The legendary country star and coach on The Voice said of her Happyâs Place cast, âwe love each other. We respect each otherâs opinion on things, their individual lifestyle, their background, their heritage. Itâs a fun family.â
McEntire, 70, and Linn, 68, met while filming Kenny Rogersâ The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw in the early 90s. They reconnected while working on Young Sheldon in early 2020, and began dating around that time. They confirmed their engagement on the red carpet at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in September. McEntire revealed in an interview with PEOPLE, however, that theyâve been engaged for months.
âWe got engaged December the 24th, Christmas Eve, in Leipers Fork [Tennessee, outside of Nashville],â McEntire said. âWe were going to make the announcement when we got back to L.A. in January, and the fires happened. And it wasnât appropriate. And so, our joy was like, âoh my gosh, these people are losing their homes.â Theyâre taken out of their home. We had to evacuate twice. So, that wasnât the time, and the time never presented itself until the Emmys, when it just happened.
âIt wasnât planned at all. It was his choice,â she continued. âWe went to Africa last year, and he had planned â he took the ring, but nothing ever presented itself. âŚHeâs very romantic. Very romantic. It was up to him, totally. Yeah. I had no idea. It was a total surprise. It was Rex Linn timing. I mean, I totally was thrilled to death. And I asked him, I said, âwell, when do you want to do this?â He said, âohâŚletâs have fun with the engagement time.â So, we havenât set a date or anything. Weâre just enjoying each other.â