One of TV’s Best 2000s Sitcoms ‘Reba’ Receives Sad News

One of TV’s Best 2000s Sitcoms ‘Reba’ Receives Sad News.

After 6 Seasons and 125 Episodes, One of TV’s Best 2000s Sitcoms Is Finally Leaving Netflix

Reba McEntire is best known for her career in country music, but she also starred in her own sitcom, Reba. In a similar vein to Charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men or the majority of Tim Allen‘s television career, the series has McEntire playing a character based on herself with Reba Hart, and the opening theme is a shortened version of her song “I’m a Survivor.” It’s also one of the last programs to air on the network formerly known as the WB, closing out a classic era of television.

‘Reba’ Balanced Wit, Heart, & Surprising Guest Stars

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Most of Reba’s appeal lies in the dynamic between its cast. Whenever Reba interacts with Brock or Barbara Jean, she always has a witty remark at the ready. What makes things even more hilarious is that Barbara Jean wants to befriend Reba, although Reba’s visibly annoyed by her.

The humor is also balanced by plenty of heartfelt moments, especially with Cheyenne and her boyfriend Van (Steve Howey). Even though he’s not that bright, Van genuinely cares for Cheyenne and even shifts from a successful football career to real estate so he can support her. Cheyenne also overcomes her own struggles throughout the series, particularly with alcohol.

Like any good sitcom, Reba also featured a significant number of guest stars. Some guest stars were comedy legends, particularly Tim Meadows as a real estate dealer and Back to the Future alum Thomas F. Wilson as a potential suitor for Reba. The biggest guest star was none other than fellow country singer Dolly Parton, who starred as Reba’s inspiration to work in real estate. That’s rather fitting considering Parton’s real-life friendship with Reba McEntire, and it’s one of the ways Reba paid tribute to its title star’s career.

The CW’s Birth Was The Beginning of the End for ‘Reba’

Reba lasted an impressive six seasons, with 125 episodes in total. It almost didn’t get a sixth season, as the CW’s launch led to the show being briefly canceled before it was hastily renewed. Despite the final season of Reba having some of the highest ratings on the CW when it aired, the sixth season would be its last. Gary Newman, the then-president of 20th Century Fox Television (which produced Reba) expressed that he would have liked to see the show continue:

“The WB didn’t really know how to communicate with advertisers or expand their audience to make it work…I’m convinced that it could have been a big hit on CBS or ABC.”

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Given that we live in an age of television revivals and reboots, it’s safe to assume that a Reba revival has been floated at one point. There were actually plans for the series to return following the Disney/Fox merger, with showrunner Kevin Abbott revealing that the story would take place in real time and that Reba might consider moving out of Houston. Sadly, it never came to pass, but Abbott and Reba McEntire recently joined forces to work on another series.

Reba McEntire Reunited With A ‘Reba’ Co-Star for a New Series

Reba wasn’t the end of Reba McEntire’s tenure in television, as she’s taken the lead in the sitcom Happy’s Place. She plays a woman who inherits a bar from her father, aka the titular Hoppy, and manages to run said bar while juggling her own personal life.

Happy’s Place also features a Reba reunion, as Melissa Peterman plays a bartender, and Steve Howey even stops by for a tongue-in-cheek cameo. Fans of Happy’s Place should check out Reba, as it has much of the same vibes — not to mention the same star.