Here’s the reason why JoAnna Garcia Swisher is returning to Happy’s Place

Why Happy’s Place Waited to Have JoAnna Garcia Swisher Guest Star: “We Figured Out…”

The long-awaited Reba reunion on Happy’s Place was “an absolute delight” for everyone.

Season 2 of Happy’s Place has been in no shortage of laughter thanks to the dynamite line-up of guest stars, and we just got the most epic Reba reunion with the arrival of JoAnna Garcia Swisher.

How to Watch

Watch the Season 3 premiere of Happy’s Place Friday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and next day on Peacock.

For years, Swisher stole hearts opposite entertainment icon Reba McEntire in the hit sitcom Reba, starring as McEntire’s on-screen daughter. Since Season 1 of Happy’s Place, the NBC sitcom has delighted in the occasional Reba reunion, with Christopher Rich and Steve Howey making their way to the Knoxville tavern to reunite with McEntire and Melissa Peterman.

It’s always a tongue-in-cheek, side-splitting affair, and Swisher is set to deliver a downright hysterical performance as a local influencer named Kenzie in the Season 2 episode “Social Discontent.” As for what’s to come, the teaser promises: “When Steve and Isabella begin shooting marketing content for the tavern, they quickly realize Bobbie has a case of camera madness, causing them to recast her with a local influencer.”

NBC Insider chatted with Happy’s Place executive producers Pamela Fryman and Kevin Abbott about Swisher’s highly-awaited guest appearance in Season 2, and they revealed they’ve held out on featuring one the most iconic Reba stars for a reason.

Why Happy’s Place waited to bring on JoAnna Garcia Swisher as a guest star

Melissa Peterman as Gabby, JoAnna Swisher Garcia as Kenzie, and Reba McEntire as Bobbie on Happy’s Place Season 2 Episode 12.

Photo: Casey Durkin/NBC

Happy’s Place executive producer and co-creator Kevin Abbott tells NBC Insider that they waited to invite Swisher until they’d conjured the perfect role for her. They didn’t want Swisher to come on as some one-off, “crazy character,” but rather, a next-level persona who would sway Bobbie’s story in a significant way. Considering Swisher is set to play the influencer casted as Bobbie herself, Happy’s Place fans can’t wait to see that hilarity play out.

“We’ve been wanting to have Joanna on since Season 1 because she’s just so great,” Abbott revealed, adding that once they came up with Swisher’s Season 2 character, they knew they’d struck sitcom gold.

“It just cracked me up,” Abbott said. “The notion of it just cracked me up, so I said, ‘Absolutely.'”

“We figured out how that was going to affect Bobbie and what that was going to tell [us] about Bobbie’s story,” Abbott added of Swisher’s role. “Once we had that, then it was just, ‘Let’s go have some fun with this.'”

JoAnna Swisher Garcia as Kenzie and Reba McEntire as Bobbie on Happy’s Place Season 2 Episode 12.

Photo: Casey Durkin/NBC

Happy’s Place director and executive producer Pamela Fryman says having Swisher on set was a blast, revealing that anytime the Happy’s Place family brings on a Reba alum, they factor in extra time for rehearsal to accommodate the influx of laughter.

“There’s a lot of catching up. It’s just happened every time, and everybody is so excited to have any of these people from the original Reba show around,” Fryman explained. “And when we do run-throughs, everybody’s worked together, so it truly is a reunion in the best sense of the word. But they also have this great familiarity with each other, and all of a sudden, you’ve got a guest star that you’re not starting at zero because they have wonderful relationships with each other.”

Fryman concluded, “They are obviously so excited to be with each other that you’re already having fun before you’ve even started. It’s been an absolute delight.”

Indeed, Peterman told NBC Insider that “it was like no time had passed” when Swisher joined them on the Happy’s Place set and they were inseparable.

“We just couldn’t stop talking and gossiping and catching up to the point where they had to, you know, tell us to like go to lunch or we’re done, rehearsal’s over, you need to leave,” Peterman said, revealing that there will be many Reba nods in Swisher’s episode.

Melissa Peterman as Gabby, JoAnna Swisher Garcia as Kenzie, and Reba McEntire as Bobbie on Happy’s Place Season 2 Episode 12.

Photo: Casey Durkin/NBC

Ready for another round?

Happy’s Place has been serving up heart and humor with each new episode, and get ready for more — Season 3 premieres on Friday, October 23 at 8/7c on NBC.

Starring Reba McEntire, Rex Linn, Belissa Escobedo, Melissa Peterman, Tokala Black Elk, and Pablo Castelblanco, Happy’s Place keeps on delivering that classic sitcom hilarity along with fresh twists that pull at your heartstrings, all inside the cozy Knoxville tavern.

Watch new episodes of Happy’s Place onFridays at 8/7c on NBC, beginning October 23, and streaming the next day on Peacock.

Don’t miss Swisher’s side-splitting guest appearance by watching Season 2, Episode 12 of Happy’s Place on Friday, March 13 at 8/7c on NBC. Stream the episode the next day on Peacock.

Reporting by Stephanie Gomulka and Tara Bennett