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.
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.
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.
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.
Doing Malibu Country
In 2011, Reba returned to television with her second television series, Malibu Country. Reba’s character on the show is Reba Gallagher, who has two kids and was recently divorced because her husband cheated on her (a familiar refrain for Reba it seems?). Her character, Reba, then moves to Malibu, California to restart her music career. The broadcast schedule of the sitcom was every Friday night on ABC.
The television series received a mixture of reactions and criticisms, but with 8.7 million views in its debut season, it was the most-watched comedy show on ABC at the time. After eighteen episodes, the show was canceled eventually in 2013. Another TV series that Reba supposedly would take a lead on in 2017 was Red Blooded, a Southern drama series. However, ABC turned down the show.