Reba (2001-2007) Series Review

No matter what challenges you face, you’ll tackle them as a family.

Reba first aired on television in 2001. A dysfunctional family is undergoing stresses tearing the family apart. Little do they know, that by picking up the pieces, they begin to mend the wounds from the past.

Reba is one of my favorite sitcoms. No family is ever perfect. One of my favorite parts about this series is the character development. Just because things are not okay now, with time, everything will change depending on how you look at it.

As a mother of three, her marriage ruined, and uncovering several burdens, Reba carries a lot over her shoulders. Reba McEntire is excellent at her character’s hardcore exterior. Tough, eager, and patient, most of the time I did not agree with Reba’s opinions. She makes decisions for people without listening to their opinions. Nevertheless, Reba fights for everyone.

The growth and relationships of each character is one of the best parts of this show. At first, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the characters, like Brock (Christopher Rich), Cheyanne (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), and Barbara Jean (Melissa Peterson) but my opinion changed once the series dug deep into their lives.

Every character on Reba was well-cast. These are real people with real issues. Somebody can relate to a character in this show. Melissa Peterson and Steve Howey are comedy wizards. The whole cast did an outstanding job in comedic deliveries. Thanks to the live studio audience, everyone was having a ball on set.

If you didn’t realize it, McEntire and Melissa Peterson are close friends in real life. They did a spectacular job in all of their scenes. McEntire’s ‘so done’ expressions were hilarious. Peterson went all out in her comedic performance as Barbara Jean.

Kyra’s (Scarlett Pomers) behavior got on my nerves with how little she cared about others' feelings. Sarcasm is her middle name, that’s for sure. Having a hard exterior, there’s more to Kyra than one thinks.

Due to his young age, Jake (Mitch Holleman) didn’t have enough to do in most episodes. I found it odd that he didn’t get more screentime once he was older in later episodes. Since he was growing up, Jake should have occupied more storylines of his own. All the other characters got the limelight, so why not Jake?

My one complaint is that Van and Cheyanne's daughter was not shown enough. A baby or a young toddler should have been available for more episodes. Either that or they should have a toy doll. They were constantly living a life offscreen and just being mentioned. That was unrealistic to me. After all, this is a major part of the show.

Reba is one of the best sitcoms to highlight family. With everything that the characters go through, there is a resolution. Change is a recurring theme in Reba. Love is also another theme. The show deals with a number of serious topics like alcoholism, teen pregnancy, and depression.

Divorce is given a positive representation. To any family having a rough time, Reba is a positive example. You’re going to hit rocks on the road, arguments, and not everyone will see eye-to-eye with plans. It just so happens that maybe it’ll improve relationships and lifestyle.

Allison M. Gibson set the right tone for the series. It is a well-structured show and well-directed. I have laughed so many times. Plus, there are a lot of touching moments.

Whenever I am having a bad day, I forget about it all after watching this show. I highly recommend that you binge Reba.