Reba’s Christopher Rich Calls Happy’s Place Gig a ‘Blessing’ After 2018 Stroke: ‘I Was With My Two Best Friends’
The Feb. 21 episode of Happy’s Place will be heavy on Hart. That’s because Christopher Rich, who played Brock Hart on the WB classic Reba, is reuniting with Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman on NBC’s freshman comedy, marking one of his first on-screen roles since he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2018.
TVLine’s exclusive sneak peek introduces Rich’s character, Maverick, a local tattoo artist who also had a stroke, and only has complete use of one hand. He doesn’t let that damper his spirits, though: In the episode, we learn that Maverick likes to tease new clients about which hand he’s going to use when he works on their tattoos.
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Below, Rich talks to TVLine about what it was like to be back in front of a studio audience with two of his “best friends,” why he was so thrilled to have his condition written into the episode, and the circumstances under which he’d like to reprise his Maverick role in a hypothetical Season 2.
TVLINE | This week marks 18 years since the series finale of Reba. Does it feel like it has been that long?
In some ways, yes, but mostly it feels like it was just yesterday. I mean, that’s my love. That’s the best set I ever worked on. And I worked on some cool sets, with Murphy Brown and Boston Legal, but that was the best set by far, and Happy’s Place is just like that set. It’s a clone of the Reba set.
TVLINE | How did it feel to be back in front of a studio audience, opposite Reba and Melissa, after all this time?
It was a time warp. It was like going back in time. Their characters are so similar — Reba to Bobbie, and Barbara Jean to Gabby, though now they’re finding the differences, I think, in Gabby and Barbara Jean. But I was with two of my best friends, getting to act — what’s bad about that? They’re there supporting me, encouraging me… it was a blessing. Melissa is still so funny, and when she looks at you with those penetrating blue eyes, it almost knocks your head back a little bit. She’s a piece of work!
TVLINE | That line, where she asks if you’ve got a wife she can steal you away from…
That’s an Easter egg for the Reba fans!
TVLINE | You play a tattoo artist named Maverick. Can you relate to this guy?
Totally, I can relate to him. He’s a jokester, he likes to torture new customers a little bit because he knows they’re going to freak out about his stroke. He has fun, but he’s a very talented artist. He’s a little bit of a flirt, too.
TVLINE | Only in preparing for this interview did I learn that you also suffered a stroke a few years ago. How are you feeling now?
I’m feeling reborn, frankly, particularly after this experience [on Happy’s Place]. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do it again — that that magic thing in my brain had been destroyed with the stroke. But no, it was right there. I really do feel like I’m ready to just hit it back again, and go do some more fun stuff. I love working.
TVLINE | What was it like to get to play a character who has been through a similar health scare, and getting to find the humor in that experience?
It was very special to me. And kudos go out to the producers, to the writers, for adding that element to it. I was more than willing to come on the show and play a character without referencing the stroke, but they said, “You know, we think we can take advantage of it, maybe get a little comedy out of it. Do you mind if we use it?” And I said, “Please, please use it. Please put it out there that people have strokes, and we are still a part of society.” I’d like for that to become my main thing: getting stroke patients back to work and getting them more acceptance. Yes, it blew up a part of my brain, but I’m still out there, and we can have fun together, and I can still work, I can memorize lines….
TVLINE | It must have been a thrill to hear the studio audience erupt when you first entered the scene.
It was incredible, buddy. I mean, it really was just incredible. What a surge of emotion I went through. In fact, I wish you’d been there. You would have heard me thank the audience — thank them for sharing the experience with me, and how special and meaningful it was to me. It was a beautiful thing.
TVLINE | Not only are you working with Reba and Melissa, but you’re on another multi-cam helmed by Kevin Abbott that uses a lot of the same crew as Reba. That must’ve been a trip.
Those people are geniuses. Their track records are phenomenal, and you’re safe working with talent like that. Not many people have asked me about this, but one of my favorite directors from the beginning of my career [on Murphy Brown] is Pamela Fryman, and we got to have a little reunion [too]. That was really, really cool. She’s brilliant, and a real blessing for this show.
TVLINE | Gabby clearly takes a liking to Maverick. In the event of a Season 2, how would you feel about coming back as a love interest for Melissa?
I would love that. I would love it. Love it, love it. There’s nothing more delightful than being on that set with my friends, best place in the world.
TVLINE | Steve Howey has already been on Happy’s Place, and I know they’re trying to find a part for JoAnna Garcia Swisher, but it would be great to see the whole gang together again….
Once they see all three of us having worked in three good episodes, maybe somebody will say, “Hey, listen, we can do a streaming movie, get the Hart family together again.” We could do a great Christmas movie, a great summer vacation movie… it’s a super talented cast.
TVLINE | Reba was a hit for The WB back in the day, but it has seen even greater success in syndication. Twenty-four years after it premiered, it still airs on multiple cable networks, multiple times per day. It’s also on several streaming services, including Netflix. Why do you think it has endured when so many sitcoms from that era have not?
Honestly, Ryan, I think it’s because at the center of that show was a solid heart. It was about a family that goes through a devastating thing and then has to navigate that, and it touched a lot of people. I’m very, very proud of that show, and I’m proud of the things that we dealt with on it. But I think one of the reasons it has lasted so long is because of COVID. When everybody locked down, people started streaming it, and I got so many messages about it. People were really grateful for that break in their daily routine that streaming Reba provided. I still watch it occasionally, and it’s funny. It’s timeless, and it’s a great show.
TVLINE | You went viral a couple of years ago, when fans spotted you and your former co-stars at a Reba concert, singing along to “I’m a Survivor.” They love seeing that you’re all still in each other’s lives after this time. How have you maintained those relationships?
While we were working on [Reba], I and other people on the crew frequently said to the cast, “Listen, guys, enjoy this, because this is not what it’s usually like. This is glorious. On other shows, usually a lot more personalities clash,” and we had none of that. I think the appreciation and love that we had for doing the show that way has lasted and kept a strong bond. I mean, we vacation together, we spend a lot of time together… [Reba’s boyfriend] Rex [Linn, who plays Emmett on Happy’s Place] and I are avid University of Texas football fans. Now, every Saturday in the fall, we force Reba to sit and watch college football with us. It’s the most fun thing you can imagine!
New episodes of Happy’s Place air Fridays at 8/7c on NBC (and stream next day on Peacock).
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