'Insanely relatable' Reba talks new show 'Happy's Place,' casting her real-life boyfriend

So just how is country legend Reba McEntiredominating TV screens as "The Voice" coach two nights a week (now in her third season) as she anchors her sitcom return in NBC's "Happy's Place"? And all while juggling her McEmpires (the clothing line, the entertainment company) with the songwriting, the concert appearances?

It's all about location, location, location.

NBC's "Happy's Place," (Fridays, 8 EDT/PDT), is ever so conveniently shot at Universal Studios, just across from "The Voice," where McEntire, 69, battles fellow judges Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani and Michael Bublé.

It's so much more doable than the 2022 treks to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a season of ABC's "Big Sky."

Reba McEntire's got a friend With Carole King writing 'Happy's Place' theme song: Listen

"With 'Big Sky,' I was flying to the East Coast each week for concerts and then flying right back to Albuquerque on Mondays," McEntire says. "Now I'm right across this little alley from 'The Voice.' I can even shoot 'Happy's Place' in the morning and get ready for 'The Voice' at night. It's a godsend."

Whatever it takes to get the McEntire back in the sitcom world with fellow executive producer Kevin Abbott, with whom the Queen of Country collaborated on the WB comedy "Reba." That sitcom ended its six-season run in 2007 but is seeing a resurgence thanks to Netflix. "It's like a whole new generation for a show that started in 2001," she says. "I'm just thrilled to death."

"Happy's Place" features a "Reba" reunion with Melissa Peterman, who played the half-her-age best friend who had an affair with McEntire's on-screen husband. Peterman has become a regular stage crasher at McEntire's concerts.

"I'd say, 'What are you doing here?'" McEntire says. "And she'd say: 'I'm auditioning for the Black Cat, which is a strip joint. And the crowd would go wild."

In "Happy's Place," Peterman plays the untamed bartender at the tavern Bobbie (McEntire) inherits from her once-estranged and now-deceased father. There's a comedic catch, of course, as Bobbie discovers she has a half-sister, Isabella (Belissa Escobedo), who thus becomes the bar's half-owner. Bobbie adjusts to her new life as McEntire wields her grumbling everywoman sitcom humor once again.

"Reba is insanely relatable," Abbott says. "Whatever people who love Reba McEntire expect of her, she absolutely is that person. And that comes across on screen."

McEntire brought some of her own clan to her new TV bar, which is adorned with old-school photos of her real-life family, including race-car-driving son Shelby Blackstock, 34, and "Mama and Daddy," her now-deceased parents, Clark and Jacqueline McEntire.

The twice-divorced McEntire was instrumental in landing her actor boyfriend, Rex Linn, the role of the tavern's short-order cook, Emmett. Her beau, 67, already calls her "Tater Tot" after McEntire ordered her favorite form of potato at their first dinner in 2020. They're a mash made in heaven (she calls him "Suger Tot") now living at McEntire's Los Angeles home, a convenient 30 minutes from the studio.

"I generated that. I wanted him to be a part of (Happy's Place)," McEntire says. "We work well together. We have fun together. And I know his chemistry. He's the veteran of us all."

Abbott initially fretted over Linn's comedy chops. "He's accomplished, but I didn't know if he was necessarily comedic," says Abbott., who was put at ease when Linn brought the yuks during an early script table read. "I won't lie, I was nervous. But he was just great. I gave a huge sigh of relief."

On the show, Emmett is Bobbie's rock, her cook and quasi-therapist. "Bobbie runs everything by him," McEntire says. "Sometimes he'll answer, sometimes not. But she gets it out."

The alchemy between McEntire and Linn is so good that Abbott is considering exploring new Reba frontiers ? like making Emmett and Bobbie a TV couple. "The one show I could never figure out is one where Reba dated someone," Abbott says. "We're going to slow-play that notion, but Emmett was always supposed to be a love interest. And they have the chemistry."

The relationship is even more endearing in real life. The couple has an unyielding "Coffee Camp," sharing coffee first thing in the morning, whether it's on FaceTime or in person. "We haven't missed one Coffee Camp since March of 2020, when we started dating," McEntire says. "It's our special time together."

The frequent contact also helps McEntire's performance. Linn loves helping his partner learn, and craft, her many pages of weekly dialogue. "Rex is the best dialogue coach; he's drilling me all the time," she says. "Oh my gosh, we rehearse those lines."

The assistance ? and that breezy commute ? allow McEntire to focus more on sharpening her "Voice" game. She's no longer the self-described "nervous" rookie but a crafty veteran compared with Season 26 newbies Snoop Dogg and Bublé. McEntire flexed her experience shooting the recent blind audition episodes.

"We did five days in a row of blind auditions," she says. "After the first morning, we came back from lunch, and Snoop Dogg looked over at me and asked, 'How many more days do we do this? I said, 'Four.' And Michael (Bublé) goes, 'Four?!' And I said, 'Didn't you guys ask questions before you signed on the dotted line?'"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reba talks new show 'Happy's Place,' balancing 'The Voice' judging gig