Happy’s Place’s Melissa Peterman Jokingly Pitched Channing Tatum Or Jon Hamm For A Key Role, But I’d Actually Love To See This

From L to R: Channing Tatum in Fly Me to the Moon, Melissa Peterman in Happy's Place, Jon Hamm in Bad Times at the El Royale.

(Image credit: From L to R: Sony Pictures Entertainment YouTube, NBC, 20th Century Fox)

Spoilers ahead for Season 2, Episode 3 of Happy’s Place, “Straw Man,” which is streaming now with a Peacock subscription.

Happy’s Place Season 2 premiered on the 2025 TV schedule earlier this month, and the series has wasted no time in continuing major storylines that Season 1 set in place. There have been some surprises already, and Melissa Peterman now humorously has some big ideas in mind. Peterman joked about wanting Channing Tatum or Jon Hamm to play a key role in Gabby’s storyline, and I wouldn’t mind at all if this happened.

Friday, November 21’s episode of Happy’s Place, “Straw Man,” saw Gabby finally choosing a sperm donor. Of course, she initially set out to find a donor last season when she decided to become a mother, with that development even including Reba star Steve Howey. While the man has been selected, Peterman told Us Weekly she has a dream casting for the role and, even though she’s going off of what Gabby would want, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is also wishful thinking on the actress’ part:

Gabby [would want] Channing Tatum. She’s going to dream big. Dream big or go home.

It would certainly be a dream if Tatum were to play Gabby’s sperm donor, no matter how “out there” the dream may be. Even though she already picked someone, who’s to say that this Luigi guy can’t look like the actor or that Luigi ultimately decided to back out? That being said, Tatum isn’t the only one on Peterman’s mind, as she and co-star Pablo Castelblanco also name-dropped Jon Hamm, and I would just love a whole episode devoted to Gabby going through a list of possible donors. As Peterman said:

I’m sure Gabby was on the dark web trying to find [someone good to donate]. I think she had fun shopping.

I don’t care how impossible these ideas sound. The concept of someone like Tatum or Hamm playing Gabby’s sperm donor is too good. Also, both mean are great with comedy and drama, so they would be able to perfectly balance the two when need be. Honestly, I’d watch Hamm and Tatum on the show if they were playing any role — the man fathering Gabby’s child or otherwise. The chances of them showing up feel slim but, hey, we can dream, right?

As a whole, with the sperm donor storyline finally taking shape and Gabby choosing someone, I’d say things are about to get very interesting. The character really took her time in finding the right one, and, at present, she seems quite confident about her selection. I’m incredibly curious about what’s to come, and I’m hoping that if Luigi does actually appear, he’ll be played by an actor with some impeccable comedic timing.

Season 2 of Happy’s Place just started, meaning there’s much more to look forward to. New episodes air on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by new cheerleading sitcom Stumble. Fans can catch all episodes of the Reba McEntire-led sitcom on Peacock.