Rex Linn as Emmett and Reba McEntire as Bobbie on ‘Happy’s Place.’ Casey Durkin/NBC
Happy’s Place had some fun with Reba McEntire and Rex Linn‘s offscreen relationship by pairing their fictional characters off on an emotional — and adorable — fishing trip.
During the Friday, November 8, episode of the hit NBC series, Emmett (Linn) pitched to Bobbie (McEntire) that they reinstate Fish Fry Monday. The cook would usually go fishing with Bobbie’s father but since Happy passed away, Emmett volunteered that Bobbie join him on the trip instead.
“The tavern will survive without you for one day, I swear. This is your chance to relax and enjoy life,” Emmett told Bobbie about taking her mind off work, to which she replied, “Let’s go out there and go fishing already. The sooner we fish, the sooner I get back to the tavern and make sure it didn’t burn to the ground without me.”
To some, the getaway seemed to be more of a work function for Bobbie and Emmett. Other viewers — like Us — felt romantic undertones might be afoot after Bobbie and Emmett found themselves stuck with no cell service and a storm forced them to spend time together in a small cabin.
Reba McEntire and Rex Linn first crossed paths 30 years before they started dating. McEntire met the actor while shooting 1991’s The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw but didn’t pursue a romance until January 2020. “We’ve kept in contact with each other over the years, and we both know the same people, so […]
“It looks like we aren’t going anywhere for a bit. I am going to finish this and why don’t you try to find some way to entertain yourself?” Emmett asked Bobbie before she started to play with some wooden fish decor. “Drink a beer!”
The duo later had an emotional conversation where Bobbie opened up about her father’s offscreen death.
“First time I brought him out here, all he wanted to do was leave. Once he relaxed a little bit though, it became his favorite thing to do. Same for me,” Emmett recalled. “I tell you, there’s nothing better than spending the day fishing with your best friend.”
Reba McEntire as Bobbie and Rex Linn as Emmett on ‘Happy’s Place.’ Casey Durkin/NBC
Bobbie, however, wasn’t as convinced that Emmett cared about Happy, saying, “I used to think that too about you and Daddy being best friends. How come you didn’t go to your best friend’s memorial? We were all there but not you. … I have been wanting to know this ever since that day. But I figured I would wait until we were stuck together in an outhouse to ask.”
In response, Emmett revealed that he “didn’t” miss Happy’s memorial.
“I was here. This is where I had my memorial service for Happy. I put on his favorite Willie Nelson tape, helped myself to one of the 200 hundred beers he had in here,” he shared. “I sat in this chair — across from the chair he sat in all the time — and I thought about my friend and how much I miss him.”
Bobbie and Emmett’s unofficial date picked right back up after they figured out their differences. Later in the episode, Emmett showed Bobbie how to fish a beer out of his fridge. He also offered her some advice about prioritizing her personal life in addition to running Happy’s Place.
“You are just like him — full of life. But to be full of life, you need to have one and Happy could do that. Because he had someone at the tavern he could rely on. You,” Emmett told Bobbie, who added, “I wouldn’t mind having a little more free time in my life. Maybe I will even start fishing.”
To top their sweet moment off, Bobbie asked Emmett to play a Willie Nelson song and he chose “Yesterday’s Wine.”
Rex Linn as Emmett and Reba McEntire as Bobbie on ‘Happy’s Place.’ Casey Durkin/NBC
“Miracles appear in the strangest of places / Fancy meeting you here,” Nelson sang as Bobbie and Emmett enjoyed their quality time together. “The last time I saw you was just out of Houston / Sit down, let me buy you a beer.”
Happy’s Place, which debuted in October, follows Bobbie as she inherits her father’s restaurant and discovers a new business partner in the half-sister (Belissa Escobedo) who she didn’t know she had. Melissa Peterman — who costarred with McEntire, 69, on Reba — plays a bartender at the restaurant while McEntire’s boyfriend appears as a cook at the tavern.
McEntire recently spoke with Us Weekly about getting the chance to collaborate with Linn, 67, on her new sitcom.
“Rex and I are best friends. We have the same likes and dislikes. We’re foodies. We love to cook. We each wanted to be a cowboy and a cowgirl,” she said in an October cover story about Linn, whom she knew for nearly three decades before they started dating in 2020. “Then we got into the entertainment business instead. Our dynamic works on and off-screen.”
According to the country singer, it was a seamless transition for her and Linn, adding, “We love to act. We want to be prepared. So, he and I rehearse a lot. We did a Lifetime movie together. We did Big Sky on ABC. We’ve both been on Young Sheldon, and now we’re doing Happy’s Place together, so we get real serious about rehearsals and we know our dialogue for sure. To have fun and be comfortable with dialogue, you’ve got to know it. We work hard on that.”
McEntire gushed to Us about how her connection with Linn changed her for the better.
“Rex brings out the little girl in me and I have fun. I’m dorky, I’m goofy. He is too. We love to laugh, and we love each other,” she continued. “We both love watching television. We’re always on the lookout for a new series or movie to watch. He says that it’s his homework, watching other actors and learning from them. I do it for pure enjoyment. Right now we’re streaming The Penguin.”
Happy’s Place airs on NBC Fridays at 8 p.m. ET.
