Now thatThe Connershas reached its conclusion, fans of the series should check outHappy’s Placefor a perfect replacement series.The Connersseries finaletried hard to doRoseanne’s legacy justice, but the sitcom spinoff was never going to make everyone happy. Jackie and Dan got fitting endings, but Harris and Mark’s character arcs were largely forgotten.
This issue was unavoidable given thelarge cast of characters inThe Conners.Roseanne’s spinoff had over a dozen main characters and, after the death of the show’s former title character, the spinoff never knew who to focus on. As such,The Connersconstantly flitted from one character to another, failing to provide them with compelling, complete arcs.
Fans of The Conners Will Like NBC’s Happy’s Place
The Reba McEntire Sitcom Sees Her Play A Bar Owner
Luckily, viewers who missThe Connerswill not need to search for long to find the show’s perfect replacement. AsHappy’s Placeseason 2 approaches, the Reba McEntire-fronted NBC sitcom has emerged as a fitting follow-up toThe Conners. The show follows McEntire’s Bobbie, who inherits a bar from her estranged father after he dies.
To her shock, Bobbie discovers she has a far younger half-sister, Isabella, whom she had never heard of before her father’s death. Soon, the duo uneasily co-own the titular bar, and their escapades form the main storyline of season 1. As such,Happy’s Placetouches on many of the same working-class struggles as Jackie’s Lunchbox storyline inThe Conners.
Happy’s Placeshowrunner Kevin Abbott previously worked on the sitcomRebawith Reba McEntire.
Bobbie and Isabella struggle to keep the small business open, but there is still time for fun and flirting amid all the drama and difficulties.Happy’s Placesets up a romancebetween Bobbie and Rex Linn’s reserved chef Emmett that season 2 promises to pay off, and a real-life revelation makes this subplot all the more intriguing.
Happy’s Place Season 1 Already Featured One Star from ABC’s The Conners
Emma Kenney Played Bobbie’s Daughter In Episode 10
Linn and McEntire are dating in real life, making their upcoming romance in the sitcom a fun meta-gag. However, McEntire’s fellowYoung Sheldonalumnus Linn isn’t the only supporting star bolstering the NBC sitcom’s cast. Melissa Peterman, whose breakthrough role came in McEntire’s earlier hit sitcomReba, plays the bartender in Bobbie’s establishment.
Ames McNamara
Mark Conner-Healy
Meanwhile, Emma Kenney ofThe Connersappeared in season 1, episode 10, “The MacAllister Girls,” as Bobbie’s daughter, Gracie. SinceThe Connersseason 7 wasted Harris’s storyline, this NBC show has a chance to offer Kenney a more substantial role to sink her teeth into.
The star showed promise in the early seasons ofThe Conners, but her reduced role in season 7 left her character feeling adrift and her arc unfinished. Luckily,Happy’s Placeseason 2 can fix the mistakes ofThe Connerswhen the show returns to screens soon.
