Reba McEntire records a theme song for her latest sitcom

Reba McEntire starred in six seasons of her eponymous sitcom on WB (later CW), Reba – but of all the 127 episodes that aired, it’s probably the first 29 seconds that have stuck most strongly in pop culture.

“I am a survivor,” RebaThe theme, and a slightly modified version of a song of the same name she also released in 2001, can be found on TikTok and Instagram, where it is often parodied for its lyrics about “a single mom who works too hard.” So now that McEntire is returning to TV with an NBC sitcom, could musical lightning strike twice?

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“It’s written and we’re recording it at the end of this month,” McEntire told members of the television press at a promotional event for her upcoming half-hour Happy’s Place“We’ll see if you like it.”

Rejoice, McEntire fans. Unless there is a really bad focus group formation, the country star will also sing the title song to Happy’s Place.

TV theme songs, especially those sung by the stars themselves (see Frasier And The Drew Carey Show) have fallen so far out of favor. The opening sequences of television comedies now usually consist of just a brief flash of the show’s name and perhaps a creator’s name – if the creator has the clout. Omitting an opening sequence may save money, but more importantly it just saves time. The remaining television sitcoms last a scant 22 minutes, and adding a half-minute theme song means cutting one or two favorites from every script.

Happy’s Place unites McEntire with her two Reba Producer Kevin Abbot and her Reba Co-Star Melissa Peterman. “Since we left Reba, we’ve been looking for another project,” said the actress and executive producer. “I love the sitcom genre. Of all the things I do, this is my favorite.”

The similarities between the shows seem to end with the creative team. Reba was about a mother of three children (McEntire) whose husband leaves her for another woman (Peterman). Happy’s Place follows Bobbi (McEntire) after the death of her father, which leads to her inheriting a bar and gaining a new business partner in her half-sister (Belissa Escobedo), whom she never knew she had.

Bobbi is described as a widow who has at least one job. It is not immediately clear whether she loves her children and never gives up. It is probably safe to assume that she has gentle hands and the heart of a fighter. She is clearly a survivor.

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