Reba (TV series): Difference between revisions
m →American ratings: citation parameter fixes, replaced: publisher| → publisher=| using AWB |
|||
| Line 35: | Line 35: | ||
==Series' end== |
==Series' end== |
||
Midway through Season 6, word began circulating that the CW had ordered "the back nine," or the remaining episodes that would have given ''Reba'' a full-season order. But on January 19, 2007 during the network's TCA Press Tour, it was revealed that the series had been canceled, with no "back nine" on order.<ref name="tfc">{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7278|title=CBS Pulls 'Armed & Famous,' The CW Confirms 'Reba' End|work=TheFutonCritic.com|accessdate=2007-01-26}}</ref> |
Reba is awesome.Midway through Season 6, word began circulating that the CW had ordered "the back nine," or the remaining episodes that would have given ''Reba'' a full-season order. But on January 19, 2007 during the network's TCA Press Tour, it was revealed that the series had been canceled, with no "back nine" on order.<ref name="tfc">{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7278|title=CBS Pulls 'Armed & Famous,' The CW Confirms 'Reba' End|work=TheFutonCritic.com|accessdate=2007-01-26}}</ref> |
||
The series finale garnered 4.44 million viewers in its final half hour. Rumors continued to float on the CW's message boards and ''Reba'' fan sites that the series might still have a chance at renewal, citing the possible removal of programming chief [[Dawn Ostroff]], or that Lifetime may option to a Van/Cheyenne spinoff series.<ref name="network">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/01/reba_is_the_sitcom_cancelled_for_sure.html|title=''Reba:'' Is the CW Sitcom canceled for Sure?|work=TVSeriesFinale.com|accessdate=2007-01-24}}</ref> It was soon announced that Garcia and Howey had each been signed to new shows for CBS and FOX respectively.<ref name="shows">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/03/reba_a_van_cheyenne_sitcom.html|title=''Reba:'' Van & Cheyenne Spin-off Update|work=TVSeriesFinale.com|accessdate=2007-03-15}}</ref> |
The series finale garnered 4.44 million viewers in its final half hour. Rumors continued to float on the CW's message boards and ''Reba'' fan sites that the series might still have a chance at renewal, citing the possible removal of programming chief [[Dawn Ostroff]], or that Lifetime may option to a Van/Cheyenne spinoff series.<ref name="network">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/01/reba_is_the_sitcom_cancelled_for_sure.html|title=''Reba:'' Is the CW Sitcom canceled for Sure?|work=TVSeriesFinale.com|accessdate=2007-01-24}}</ref> It was soon announced that Garcia and Howey had each been signed to new shows for CBS and FOX respectively.<ref name="shows">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/03/reba_a_van_cheyenne_sitcom.html|title=''Reba:'' Van & Cheyenne Spin-off Update|work=TVSeriesFinale.com|accessdate=2007-03-15}}</ref> |
||
Revision as of 16:48, 22 February 2010
| Reba | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Allison M. Gibson |
| Starring | Reba McEntire Christopher Rich Joanna Garcia Steve Howey Scarlett Pomers Mitch Holleman and Melissa Peterman |
| Theme music composer | Shelby Kennedy & Phillip White |
| Opening theme | "I'm a Survivor", performed by Reba McEntire |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 125 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Mindy Schultheis Michael Hanel (entire run)Allison M. Gibson (2001-2002) Kevin Abbott (2002-2007) Matt Berry (2003-2007) Donald Beck Christopher Case Pat Bullard Reba McEntire (all from 2005-2007) |
| Camera setup | Videotape (filmized); Multi-camera |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production companies | ACME Productions 20th Century Fox Television (entire run) Bee Caves Road Productions (season 1) |
| Original release | |
| Network | The WB (2001-2006) The CW (2006-2007) |
| Release | October 5, 2001 – February 18, 2007 |
Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire. It premiered on The WB in 2001, where it ran for five seasons before The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network (The CW), and it ran on The CW for its final season. When it premiered on The CW, the show became the top rated sitcom on the network, as it was on The WB. Despite being one of The CW Network's leading shows, the series ended with its finale airing on February 18, 2007.
Synopsis
The show is set in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, and stars Reba McEntire as a wisecracking single mother Reba Nell Hart, whose dentist ex-husband Brock (Christopher Rich) has left her to marry young, ditzy Barbara Jean (Melissa Peterman) after an affair with her, when it is revealed in the pilot episode that Barbara Jean is pregnant. Ironically, though Reba sees "B.J." as her nemesis, Barbra Jean considers Reba her best (and perhaps only) friend. As the show progresses Reba slowly and painfully comes to the conclusion that despite all her efforts to hate her, she likes Barbra Jean and considers her a friend. In the pilot episode it was revealed that Reba's older daughter, then high school senior Cheyenne (Joanna García) is pregnant.
Cheyenne married her baby's father, fellow high-schooler Van Montgomery (Steve Howey), a dim-witted but well-meaning football player. Van moves in with them, as his own parents kicked him out for standing by Cheyenne, and Van comes to view Reba as a surrogate parent (something Reba is very comfortable with). Reba's other two children are Kyra (Scarlett Pomers), an intelligent and rebellious teenager who shares Reba's sarcastic streak, and Jake (Mitch Holleman), a young boy just trying to sort through the mess of his family. Since the fifth season, Van and Reba have been real estate partners.
The show was canceled when The WB Television Network and UPN merged into The CW Television Network. However, in an 11th hour move on May 17, 2006, The CW renewed Reba with a 13-episode order,[1] reportedly to fulfill a syndication contract worth $20 million.[2] In November 2006, The CW announced that the show would be paired with 7th Heaven, Sundays at 7 p.m., beginning later that month.[3] Reba encores were scheduled for Sundays at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT, with a new episode at 7:30 p.m. Reba became the top-rated sitcom on the CW, also surpassing the dramas Supernatural, One Tree Hill, and Veronica Mars.[4] The final episode aired on February 18, 2007.
Series' end
Reba is awesome.Midway through Season 6, word began circulating that the CW had ordered "the back nine," or the remaining episodes that would have given Reba a full-season order. But on January 19, 2007 during the network's TCA Press Tour, it was revealed that the series had been canceled, with no "back nine" on order.[5]
The series finale garnered 4.44 million viewers in its final half hour. Rumors continued to float on the CW's message boards and Reba fan sites that the series might still have a chance at renewal, citing the possible removal of programming chief Dawn Ostroff, or that Lifetime may option to a Van/Cheyenne spinoff series.[6] It was soon announced that Garcia and Howey had each been signed to new shows for CBS and FOX respectively.[7]
An interview Reba McEntire gave as part of the press coverage of her upcoming duets album revealed that the show was not being shopped around and that the series was indeed finished. In an interview with Variety on May 29, 2007, 20th Century Fox TV president Gary Newman said that he regretted The WB's handling of the show in later years, saying that he was sure the series would have been a hit for CBS or ABC.[8]
Characters
| Character | Actor | Description | Relatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reba Nell McKinney-Hart | Reba McEntire | Reba is a single mom who works too hard, loves her kids and never stops. She struggles with taking care of everyone in her house, after her husband divorces her for his dental hygienist. She is temperamental, and prone to sarcastic remarks. But Reba can also be kind and caring, and is usually the sensible one. She worked as a secretary for her ex-husband's dental rival, Eugene. She becomes a real estate agent after she got fired for calling her boss a monkey's butt. | Father- J.V. (Barry Corbin), Mother- Helen (Dorothy Lyman) |
| Brock Enroll Hart | Christopher Rich | Reba's ex-husband, a dentist and golfer, who leaves her for his much younger, pregnant, dental hygienist, Barbra Jean. He is vain, and tries to convince everyone that he is still young. Brock sometimes shows regret from his divorce of Reba, and is diagnosed with kidney stones (in season 5) while Barbra Jean is away. Reba makes him stay at her house, but after his stones pass he stays because he wants to spend time with his family like things used to be. Brock is also (in season 3) diagnosed with depression. His name is a play on "rock & roll". He can sometimes be overprotective of Kyra when it comes to boys. | Father- John D (died in season 1), Mother- Liz (Jenny O'Hara) |
| Cheyenne Montgomery | Joanna García | Brock and Reba's oldest daughter, who initially is looking forward to her senior year of high school before learning that she is pregnant. She marries her boyfriend, Van Montgomery, and they move in with Cheyenne's mom, Reba. Cheyenne gives birth to their daughter, Elizabeth, after going into labor on graduation day. She can be somewhat air-headed and self-centered, but she can also be thoughtful and kind-hearted. She is very sensitive, especially when she is insulted (mainly by Kyra, her younger sister). She goes to college to study to be a dentist. Cheyenne later helps out at a homeless shelter, improving her shallowness greatly. When she comes to the realization that she is an alcoholic, she's inspired to discontinue doing dentistry for her major, and, instead of that, decides to study counseling for those affected by alcohol and drugs. She likes to mess with Van's head. | |
| Van Montgomery | Steve Howey | The star corner back of his high school's football team, Van is kicked out of the house when his parents find out that he plans to marry his pregnant girlfriend. He moves in with Reba, and his future in professional sports looks bright until an injury from an accident eventually reveals that he has narrowing of the spine. Later in the series he works as a realtor with Reba. Van is portrayed as a big goof and is not good with words, especially when it comes to Cheyenne. He is a great dad to his daughter, Elizabeth. It is hinted he will possibly be overprotective of Elizabeth when she starts dating after he found her after she hid somewhere he couldn't find her while playing hide-and-seek. Cheyene came out to see what was wrong and then said, "Just wait until you start dating". | Father- Dan, Mother- Sue (Robin Riker) |
| Kyra Eleanor Hart | Scarlett Pomers | The middle child, Kyra has the fewest emotional issues of the family. Many of her traits and looks come from Reba, including her sharp wit and knack for sarcasm, although she's known to be more manipulative and difficult. In the final season, she decided not to go to college and focus on her music. She sometimes is compared to Cheyene—which she hates. She is always trying to prove she will not get knocked up at 17. For Season 5, she was only on the first 2 episodes. Then she returned at the beginning of Season 6. | |
| Jacob "Jake" Mitchell Hart | Mitch Holleman | The youngest of the Hart children, Jake is often teased by his sister Kyra. In the earlier seasons, Jake sometimes is only seen for one scene where he would crack a joke or just mention something that involves the current topic. Jake is pretty oblivious of what goes on around him and has a habit of saying the first thing that comes to his mind without thinking. He acts like a normal boy for his age, although in earlier seasons he displays feminine characteristics that worry his father, Brock. | |
| Barbra Jean Booker-Hart | Melissa Peterman | "BJ" was Brock's dental hygienist and had an affair with him as his marriage to Reba was deteriorating. The result was her getting pregnant, and marrying Brock even though he and Reba were not divorced yet. Barbra Jean is even more of a goofball than Van, more oblivious than Jake and is often an easy target for Reba's sarcasm. While noisy and annoying, Barbra Jean is a kind-hearted person with good intentions. Her tendency to tell "over-the-top" results in her sharing many random and often bizarre facts about her childhood and past. The most that can be understood is that she was born in Friendly, Texas and at one point during her infancy was "the biggest baby in Juno County." She had a sister, currently married, a brother named "Buzzard" (played by Bryan Callen of MADtv fame) and a father ("Big Daddy") who enjoys drinking and hunting. Brock is afraid of both "Buzzard" and "Big Daddy" because he knows they don't like him. She also claims to have an aunt who spits professionally. In the last season, she lost a large amount of weight and became a weather girl (she told people she was Stormy Clearweather) . In the last episode, she got a job at the weather station as a news reporter, calling her segment "Babs Janson: Street Walker. | |
| Elizabeth Montgomery | Alena & Gabrielle Leberger | Van and Cheyenne's daughter who rarely speaks, but will sometimes be shown in a family member's arm or running around. In one episode she and Van were playing hide and seek and she hid in the tree house. When Van finds her, she giggles. She giggles a lot. | |
| Henry Charles Jesus Hart | Alexander & Jackson McClellan | Brock and Barbra Jean's son who sometimes displays bad behavior which gives Reba the idea of Barbra Jean's bad parenting. |
Reba McEntire, Joanna García, Steve Howey, and Christopher Rich are the only cast members to appear in every episode.
Critical reception
Reviews for Reba were somewhat mixed. Entertainment Weekly gave the show a grade of "C-", saying that "only [Reba] McEntire... avoids looking furtively desperate in this seamy enterprise".[9] Michael Abernethy of PopMatters was more forgiving in his review, calling the show "generally humorous, although far from perfect", and praising how the series "caters to its star's abilities and image" and "spreads the jokes and storylines equally among all its cast members".[10]
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 (Episodes 01 - 22) | 5 October 2001 | 10 May 2002 |
| 2 | 24 (Episodes 23 - 46) | 20 September 2002 | 9 May 2003 |
| 3 | 22 (Episodes 47 - 68) | 20 September 2003 | 14 May 2004 |
| 4 | 22 (Episodes 69 - 90) | 17 September 2004 | 20 May 2005 |
| 5 | 22 (Episodes 91 - 112 ) | 16 September 2005 | 5 May 2006 |
| 6 | 13 (Episodes 113 - 125) | 19 November 2006 | 18 February 2007 |
Opening sequences
The show's theme song, "I'm a Survivor," was written by Shelby Kennedy and Phillip White and performed by Reba McEntire. The song comes from Reba's album Greatest Hits Vol. 3: I'm a Survivor. Though the first part of the TV version's lyrics appear elsewhere in the song, the album version has a different chorus: "The baby girl without a chance / a victim of circumstance / the one who ought to give up / but she's just too hard-headed / a single mom who works two jobs/ who loves her kids and never stops / with gentle hands and the heart of a fighter / I'm a survivor. The show's lyrics are as follows:
- HEY, HEY! My roots are planted in the past,
- Though my life is changing fast,
- Who I am is who I wanna be.
- A single mom, who works too hard,
- Who loves her kids and never stops.
- With gentle hands and the heart of a fighter.
- I'm a survivor.
In Season 1, the opening credits were black-and-white photos of cast members interspersed with clips of each cast member from the show (mostly if not all from the pilot episode), along with color video shots of Reba on a soundstage. The theme song, "I'm a Survivor", was slower and softer, very similar to the original album version. The first ten episodes of season two featured a truncated opening sequence: Cast and crew names were shown during the first and second segments of the show. The song was re-recorded at a faster, more energetic pace, but only two lines of the chorus ("Who I am is who I want to be / I'm a survivor") were sung. New video inserts of McEntire were shot and played with a color photo of the entire cast at the end.
From the eleventh episode of Season 2 onwards, a full opening sequence was returned to the show. The fast-paced song played among the new shots of McEntire plus clips of cast members from previous episodes as their names scroll past the screen horizontally. In Seasons 5 and 6, the song was re-mixed again, with more accompanying instruments.
The series finale of Reba ended with a family photo, similar to the pilot episode and the season five finale "Reba's Heart". This marks the only time that Reba ended back to back seasons using the family photo of season one.
The final season of Reba was originally scheduled to debut in the spring of 2007, but returned in November 2006 following the cancellation of the CW drama Runaway.
American ratings
Reba set a new all-time viewership record for any program on the WB's Friday night (best-ever Friday in women 18-49).
Reba's premiere on The CW Sunday averaged 4.02 million viewers, including 1.64 million viewers and 40 percent among adults 18-49 more than when Everybody Hates Chris and All of Us premiered in the same time slot, thus making Reba the highest rated sitcom on the network. With Reba as a lead in, 7th Heaven saw a season high of 4.51 million viewers.
Reba was averaging 3,630,000 viewers since the beginning of its sixth season, making it the seventh most-watched show and the most-watched sitcom on The CW throughout the 2006-07 television season. The new Reba episodes vary as being either sixth or seventh most-watched program on the network, sometimes ranking as high as #3 for the week.
Throughout The CW's inaugural season (2006–07), no other program had higher viewer turnout for repeat airings than Reba. As a result of the lackluster ratings for encores of the summer drama Hidden Palms, repeats of Reba returned to the CW's schedule in June 2007 after being absent for three months, and they immediately became the most-watched program of the night. Later in the summer, repeats of Reba were the most-viewed program on the CW network.
| Season | U.S. ratings | Network | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001–2002 | 4.2 million[11] | The WB | #129 |
| 2 | 2002–2003 | 4.5 million[12] | The WB | #127 |
| 3 | 2003–2004 | 4.0 million[13] | The WB | |
| 4 | 2004–2005 | 4.3 million[14] | The WB | #117 |
| 5 | 2005–2006 | 3.4 million[15] | The WB | #133 |
| 6 | 2006–2007 | 3.6 million | The CW | |
Syndication
All 125 episodes of Reba can currently be seen on Lifetime Television from 8-10am and 7-8pm every Monday-Friday. Reba also airs back to back episodes Tuesday-Friday on CMT Canada at 8:00pm ET.
DVD releases
20th Century Fox has released the entire series run, seasons 1-6, of Reba on DVD in Region 1.
| Title | Season One | Season Two | Season Three | Season Four | Season Five | Season Six |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | December 14, 2004 | December 13, 2005 | April 25, 2006 | November 14, 2006 | January 13, 2009 | June 23, 2009 |
| Ep# | 22 Episodes | 24 Episodes | 22 Episodes | 22 Episodes | 22 Episodes | 13 Episodes |
| Disc # | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Box color | Orange/Yellow | Lime Green/Olive Green | Dark Blue | Pink/Purple | Light Blue/Green | Red/White |
| Format | NTSC | NTSC | NTSC | NTSC | NTSC | NTSC |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | People's Choice Awards | Won | Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series | Reba McEntire |
| Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Supporting Young Actress | Scarlett Pomers | |
| Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Supporting Young Actor | Mitch Holleman | ||
| Nominated | Best Family TV Comedy Series | |||
| Won | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Guest Starring Young Actor | Shawn Pyfrom | ||
| 2003 | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Supporting Young Actor | Mitch Holleman | |
| Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actress | Scarlett Pomers | ||
| 2004 | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actress | Scarlett Pomers | |
| 2005 | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Young Actor Age Ten or Younger | Mitch Holleman | |
| Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actress | Scarlett Pomers | ||
| Won | Best Family Television Series (Comedy) | |||
| 2008 | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Series - Supporting Young Actor | Mitch Holleman | |
| 2004 | Golden Globe Award | Nominated | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy | Reba McEntire |
| 2005 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series | Bryan Hays (For episode "Flowers For Van") |
| 2006 | Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series | Bryan Hays (For episode "The Goodbye Guy") | ||
| 2005 | Teen Choice Awards | Nominated | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | Joanna García |
References
- ^ CW mixes old, new in sked; Fox prepares to thrill
- ^ Deadline Hollywood Daily » EXCLUSIVE: Moonves Manhandles “Reba”
- ^ CW Special | CW11 New York | WPIX-TV
- ^ "Season Program Rankings, from 09/18/06 through 01/14/07". ABC Television Network. 2006-01-17. Retrieved 2006-01-19.
- ^ "CBS Pulls 'Armed & Famous,' The CW Confirms 'Reba' End". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
- ^ "Reba: Is the CW Sitcom canceled for Sure?". TVSeriesFinale.com. Retrieved 2007-01-24.
- ^ "Reba: Van & Cheyenne Spin-off Update". TVSeriesFinale.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
- ^ "TV success depends on quality, network". Variety.com. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
- ^ Reba | TV Review | Entertainment Weekly
- ^ Reba | PopMatters Television Review
- ^ "How did your favorite show rate? (2001-02)". USA Today. 2002-05-28.
- ^ "2002-03 Ratings".
- ^ "2003-04 Ratings". ABC Medianet.
- ^ "2004-05 Primetime Wrap". Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "2005-06 Primetime Wrap". The Hollywood Reporter.
External links
- Reba at IMDb
- Template:Tv.com show
- Official website from Lifetime Television
- TV Series Finale - details of cancellation and possible spin-off