…”Reba: The Complete Third Season” is out on DVD.
I know what you’re thinking. “Why,” you’re thinking, “would I care at all about the cornpone comedy of Reba McEntire?”
Well, truth be told, the only thing that’s particularly Southern about the show are the accents; otherwise, it’s an ordinary family comedy…and, surprisingly, it’s not as bad as you might fear. Now don’t get me wrong: if you think the bug-eyed, over-the-top antics of Melissa Peterman as Reba’s ex-husband’s new wife, Barbara Jean, are funny, you’ve come to the wrong place. She’s consistently cringeworthy. But the “Dumb and Dumber” couple of Reba’s daughter, Cheyenne (the easy-on-the-eyes Joanna Garcia), and her husband, Van (Steve Howey), invariably get laughs…even if Van’s character is basically a Southern, married version of Joey Tribiana. And proving the less-is-more method of comedy, Mitch Holleman – who plays the youngest child, Jake – has very few lines, but every one of them is delivered perfectly to score maximum humor. As middle child Kyra, Scarlett Powers gets much of the spotlight in Season 3, as many plots revolve around her decision to leave Reba and go live with her dad. And, truth be told, in the scenes where she’s not trying to score laughs but is instead just trying to being the best mother she can be, McEntire shines; it’s no wonder someone at the WB saw her and thought, “This woman could carry her own show.”
But I’m probably wasting my breath. It’s Reba McEntire. If you don’t like country, you’re already soured on the show to begin with. But if you’re looking for a family comedy, you could do a lot worse.
Special Features: Commentary on selected episodes, two featurettes (“Matters of the Heart” and “Melissa’s Backstage Diary”).
