A Sitcom All Her Own
Reba started her own half-hour sitcom entitled Reba on the WB network in 2001. She played the role of Reba Hart, a single mother, raising a teenage daughter. Hart’s ex-husband had been cheating on her with his dental hygienist and gotten her pregnant. Then, Hart’s daughter got pregnant as well. The story revolved around how she dealt with such crazy life situations.
Reba was again praised by many, and the television series was quite a success. In fact, it became the network’s highest-rated TV show, which ran for six seasons. Reba got a nomination for a Golden Globe award with this TV sitcom. The show had its final season with The CW. Unfortunately, the show was canceled in 2007, after its network move.
Back To Success
Reba’s twentieth album in 1997, “What If It’s You,” was like a redemption for her from the criticized nineteenth album. It was a major comeback for her with much appreciation and praises from critics. The songs on this album were top hits, including the album's lead single, "The Fear of Being Alone," and other singles such as "How Was I to Know," and "I'd Rather Ride Around with You.”
Bruce Hinton, the chairperson of MCA Nashville, was very happy with this album of Reba’s, calling the tracks nothing short of "powerful." Among the many successful writers and many great country songs in Nashville, Reba is definitely a vital part of the scene. The album reached the number one spot of the Top Country Albums chart and it peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard 200. Selling over two million copies by 1999, the album was her first one in three years to have multi-platinum sales. In the same year, Reba also recorded her charity song, "What If," which hit the number twenty-three rank on the charts. All the sales from this song went to the Salvation Army.
Broadway Break
In 2001, Reba released her album, “Greatest Hits Vol. 3: I'm a Survivor.” With this album, Reba was awarded her third gold certification and became the most certified female country singer. The song, "I'm a Survivor" hit number three on the chart. Reba is indeed one of the greatest female country artists of all time in the music world.
After the “I'm a Survivor” album, Reba went on a temporary hiatus from music, as she turned her attention to her very own television series, Reba, as well as to theatrical arts. She also played the lead in a Broadway show, a revival of Annie Get Your Gun. Reba considered it as some of the hardest work she had done in her career. People were very pleased with her performance in the musical comedy.
Reba on TV
In Reba’s own television series, Reba, the main character had a different name. The original name of the role was supposed to be Sally, as producers had wanted. However, Reba suggested using her own name for the character. She managed to convince the producers about this later on. She pointed out that if she were to use her own name on the show, it would likely attract more viewers, in particular her loyal fans.
Reba worked with Melissa Peterman in the show. Peterman played the role of the dental hygienist, who was the mistress of Reba's character's husband. This dental hygienist character was the reason for Reba’s character’s divorce. While the relationship between these characters was, as you might expect, strained, Reba and Melissa are actually best friends in real life.
A Big Comeback
After Reba’s two-year break from the music industry, she released her seventy-sixth chart single, "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain," in the middle of 2003. By the end of the same year, she released her twenty-third album, “Room to Breathe.” The album was a great comeback for Reba, as it peaked at number four on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, and ranked number twenty-five on the Billboard 200.
Reba has received a number of significant accolades from her music career. With seven Academy of Country Music's Top Female Vocalist awards, she is second in rank for the most wins. For the American Music Awards Favorite Country Female Artist, Reba holds the record of having twelve awards. She is also the first to win four consecutive times the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year award. Reba got the most award nominations of CMA for a female artist with an incredible fifty nominations throughout her musical history. The ACM Awards nearly matched this unbelievable number with forty-eight nominations for Reba. In 2008, she was back in the public eye again, announcing a tour with Kelly Clarkson.