Happy’s Place: Tapped Out (NBC, Friday October 25, 2024)

Happy's Place Key Art

So, there’s this bar, right? A real dive, inherited, naturally, with more emotional baggage than top-shelf liquor. And now? A sister act brewing – but not the fun, tipsy kind. This week’s “Happy’s Place” gives us sibling rivalry shaken, not stirred, with a splash of legal wrangling. Think less “Cheers” and more “who put the ‘dys’ in dysfunctional family?”

Bobbie (Reba McEntire), our reluctant barkeep, finds herself saddled with Isabella (Belissa Escobedo), the surprise half-sister who shares more than just DNA—she also shares ownership of this charmingly dilapidated watering hole. Isabella, bless her entrepreneurial heart, wants to make changes. And Bobbie, queen of the sticky bar top and lukewarm beer, is having none of it. You see the conflict already, don’t you? Like a lukewarm PBR on a hot day, it’s just…unpleasant.

Bobbie, in a moment of what I can only assume she thought was magnanimity, tries to mentor Isabella in the fine art of bar ownership—which, in this case, probably involves a lot of duct tape and shouting. But Happy’s lawyer, a character I’m increasingly convinced wandered in from a Coen Brothers movie, manages to completely torpedo this plan. It’s a beautiful disaster, really.

What fascinates me isn’t just the predictable family drama (though that’s certainly present, served with a side of eye-rolls). It’s the way “Happy’s Place” taps into (pun regrettably intended) our collective anxiety about legacy. What do we inherit, literally and figuratively, from the ghosts of our past? And how do we grapple with the unexpected – say, a long-lost relative who shows up demanding a share of your lukewarm beer empire?

This week’s episode is more than just spilled drinks and simmering resentments. It’s a glimpse into the messy, complicated, and frequently hilarious reality of family – and the even messier reality of running a business. It’s a shot of something strong, with a twist of something bittersweet. I’ll cheers to that.

Happy’s Place: Tapped Out airs Friday, October 25th, 2024, at 8.00pm on NBC.

Happy’s Place, NBC, US TV,

Isabelle aka Izzy Jacobs is the features editor at memorabletv.com. Isabelle is particularly drawn to crime dramas, but she also has a not so secret love for all things reality TV. In addition to her work at memorabletv.com, Isabelle is also an avid traveler and a devoted foodie.