Season 3 of country music star and actress Reba McEntire’s hit NBC sitcom “Happy’s Place” is right around the corner, so fans will soon be returning to the beloved hangout with Bobbie (McEntire), Isabella (Belissa Escobedo), and the rest of the staff as the two co-leads keep building their sisterly bond. One of the reasons it’s been such a success is that the titular bar has a great vibe, as does the show itself, which blends down-home comfort, family hijinks, work tension, and a lot of heart. It’s not an easy cocktail to master, but there are a few shows that have managed it.
If you’re missing that “Happy’s Place” charm and you’re looking for a similar series to scratch that itch while you wait for the new episodes to drop, then you’re in the right place. There are other taverns that will welcome you, other southern towns full of sisterhood calling your name, and plenty of other families to get to know from a cozy spot on your couch. Whether you are drawn to the setting, the actors, the storylines, or just the vibes, here are five great shows to watch if you’re missing “Happy’s Place.”
Cheers
If the bar scenes are what you enjoy most about “Happy’s Place,” then “Cheers” should be your next watch. The iconic sitcom — which ran for 11 seasons on NBC between 1982 to 1993 and helped launch the careers of people like Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson, and Bebe Neuwirth — is still a great watch today. The stories focus on the staff and patrons of the titular bar in Boston, from their love connections to their struggles with family at home.
We’re confident that “Happy’s Place” fans will fall in love with “Cheers,” but don’t just take our word for it — “Happy’s Place” creator Kevin Abbott told TVLine that he’s a huge fan of the NBC classic and that it was a big inspiration for him. “‘Cheers’ was my absolute favorite show,” he said. “That was my spec that I wrote way back in the day that got me in the business, so it does have a bit of a ‘Cheers’ vibe because I love that vibe.” If you’re looking for a show like “Happy’s Place” that also offers the retro coziness that comes with ’80s sitcoms, then add “Cheers” to your watchlist right now.
The Ranch
Created by Don Reo and Jim Patterson (who served as co-showrunners on the final season of “Two and a Half Men”), “The Ranch” is Netflix’s longest-running original multi-camera sitcom. 80 episodes were released between 2016 and 2020, when Kutcher and co. decided the story had been fully told. It follows Colt Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) as he returns to his family’s Colorado ranch to help lift the business out of financial trouble. He has to confront tension with his estranged parents Beau (Sam Elliot) and Maggie (Debra Winger), who runs the other family business, Maggie’s Bar.
Maggie’s is a frequent hangout spot in the tiny fictional town of Garrison, Colorado. It’s where a lot of the drama goes down — while it’s technically a sitcom, “The Ranch” eschews a lot of sitcom trappings and regularly leans into dramedy territory, making full use of its TV-MA rating. The Bennett family deals with far more serious issues and tragedies than Bobbie and the gang, but there are similar themes, like repairing family bonds, small-town life and love, and the stresses at work that make you want to sit back and have a beer with familiar faces.
Reba
Reba McEntire’s 2000s sitcom “Reba” has nothing in common with “Happy’s Place” in terms of plot, but they’re both set in the south and they utilize some of the same actors. Reba is a single mom of three in Texas who learns that her eldest daughter is pregnant right after being told that her husband is leaving her to be with his pregnant mistress. Reba and Bobbie are very different on paper, yet they feel similar, and that’s because McEntire brings her patented mixture of warmth, sarcastic wit, and southern spice to both leading characters.
“Reba” also features Melissa Peterman, who played the pregnant mistress that Reba’s husband left her for. Over the course of the series she tries her best to form a friendship with Reba, and their interactions account for a lot of the humor. Of course, Peterman plays Gabby in “Happy’s Place,” with her and McEntire proving that they still have the same on-screen chemistry. Other actors who appear in both shows are Christopher Rich, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Steve Howey, and McEntire’s real-life partner Rex Linn.
That’s a lot of reunions for a show that isn’t a reboot or revival, but it totally makes sense given the history of “Happy’s Place” — co-creator Kevin Abbott was a producer on “Reba” and he and McEntire had most of the cast signed on for a planned “Reba” revival that never happened. It was devastating news for fans of that show, but that’s what ultimately led to the creation of “Happy’s Place,” so the two sitcoms are connected in several ways. If you’re a fan of one, you’re bound to love the other.
Sweet Magnolias
JoAnna Garcia Swisher went on to have a successful career after “Reba,” landing guest roles in hit shows like ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” and starring in the short-lived dramedy “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World” alongside Jason Ritter. Her best-known role is that of Maddie Townsend in the hit Netflix romance series “Sweet Magnolias,” which happens to have a southern flare (it follows three South Carolina women) and the same core themes as “Happy’s Place.”
Both shows explore the depth and complexity of female friendships, found family, love, and the challenges of running a business. Maddie’s best friends, chef Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott) and attorney Helen (Heather Headley), go into business together at The Corner Spa. They’ve literally grown up together and are as close as sisters, which is the reverse situation of what Bobbie and Isabella have, but both premises bring up similar conflicts. Netflix cancelled Sweet Magnolias in 2026, but there are five seasons to get your teeth stuck into.
One Day at a Time (2017)
Justina Machado plays Isabella’s mom Maritza in “Happy’s Place.” She’s a lawyer and a former lover of Happy. Before she visited the titular bar, she played single mother and military veteran Penelope Alvarez in the 2017 reboot of “One Day at a Time,” which ran for three seasons on Netflix. Penelope has to balance the challenges of raising kids with answering to the whims of her eccentric mother, addressing mental health issues, and, occasionally, dating.
“One Day at a Time” might not seem like much of a match with “Happy’s Place” on paper. The former show explores the Cuban roots of its characters explicitly, while the latter only sparingly mentions the Latin heritage of Isabella and the bar’s germophobic accountant Steve (Pablo Castelblanco). But family — both blood and chosen — is an overarching theme on both shows, and that’s ultimately what makes them both tick.
Steve has anxiety issues that are played for laughs most of the time, but his co-workers accept him, just like the Alvarez family and friends support each other in “One Day at a Time.” The deep love that Penelope’s bestie Pat Schneider (Todd Grinnell) has for his found family in “One Day at a Time” is similar to the well of love and patience that both Takoda (Tokala Black Elk) and Emmett (Rex Linn) show their co-workers on “Happy’s Place.”