Reba Cast Would Love to Do a Reboot, Says Star

Reba star JoAnna Garcia Swisher opens up about the past and future of the series, inviting the possibility of a reboot and piling praise onto her one-time fictional mom. Created by Allison M. Gibson and starring country singer Reba McEntire, Reba aired from 2002 to 2007. The sitcom initially aired on The WB before moving to The CW for its final season 6. McEntire stars as Reba Hart, a woman raising her kids alone in suburban Houston after her husband leaves her for his dental hygienist.

In addition to McEntire, Swisher plays Reba’s oldest child, Cheyenne, who is raising a daughter with her goofball high school sweetheart Van (Steve Howey). Scarlett Pomers plays the middle child Kyra, who gets her sarcastic streak from her mother, and Mitch Holleman plays the youngest, Jake. Despite their divorce, Reba’s ex-husband Brock (Christopher Rich) is a continued presence in her life, as is his ditzy new wife Barbara Jean (Melissa Peterman), with whom Reba forms an unlikely friendship.

In an interview on The Art of Kindnesspodcast, Swisher sings the praises of her former co-star, calling her “grateful and gracious and kind.” Still, Swisher warns fans not to underestimate the singer-turned-actress, commenting on McEntire’s immense strength. When asked about a potential Reba reboot, the actress doesn’t hold back her enthusiasm. “Are you kidding me? We’d love to do [a reboot]!” Read Swisher’s glowing remarks about McEntire below:   

“She’s so powerful because she walks the walk. I get so excited when people ask me how she is. I’ll happily go on glowingly about this woman. She’s so strong even in uncertain moments, and she’s super grateful and gracious and kind. I really wouldn’t take her in a dogfight. Don’t underestimate her. She’s so strong. But I think she would win that dogfight not by beating the crap out of you. She would [with], you know, love. She’s just a really special human.” 

McEntire is known first and foremost for her country music bona fides, securing a record deal in the mid-70s and scoring her first Top 20 hit in 1979 before skyrocketing to superstardom in the 80s. As Swisher alludes to, McEntire was able to turn personal tragedy into strength and resilience. In 1991, a plane crash tragically killed everyone on board, including eight members of McEntire’s touring band on their way to a show in Texas. The musician has been open about how deeply affected she was by this incredibly sad event, and the grief she experienced. Within years, however, McEntire would still manage to become a gold record holder, eventually adding stage and screen appearances to her resume that went beyond Reba, including stints on Tremors, the western miniseries Buffalo Girls, and, most recently, a memorable appearance in Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.

McEntire returned to series television in 2012 with Malibu Country, another sitcom about a recent divorcee named Reba, but it was canceled after season 1. Reba, however, could be ripe for a reboot. The show has taken on something of a cult status since its cancellation in 2007, with the iconic theme song surfacing regularly on TikTok. Now, Swisher confirms that the Reba cast has remained close and is enthusiastic about a reboot. The streaming climate has never been more amenable to reviving sitcoms, with Paramount+ in particular leaning into early-aughts nostalgia in the form of Frasier and iCarly. Fans need only sit back and wait to see if Reba is a survivor in the streaming age. 

Source: The Art Of Kindness