Belissa Escobedo Talks Happy’s Place Season 2 and Transitioning to Sitcoms

There are lots of sisterly shenanigans to be had with Bobbie and Isabella as they navigate Happy’s Place Season 2. With the NBC sitcom’s sophomore year underway, some might wonder what’s in store as this season reaches its midway point.

Recently, I spoke with Belissa Escobedo, who plays Isabella, about her role on the series, her collaboration with Reba McEntire, and some of the show’s best bloopers.

When discussing the biggest difference between Season 1 and 2, Escobedo mentioned the familiarity this cast shares with each other.

“The biggest difference is everyone’s just more familiar with each other,” Escobedo began. “Everyone’s coming into their character more. The audience is able to see more of the quirks and our habits. That’s always fun!”

Notably, Escobedo is known for her work in linear-focused shows, including American Horror Stories and The Baker and The Beauty. Discussing her transitioning to different formats, Escobedo went into detail about the cinematographic differences.

“The form of filming is definitely different, like having a multi-cam and stuff about positioning that you don’t have to think about as much when it’s single cam,” she explained.

Despite what Isabella goes through in Season 2, Escobedo examined the one trait that’ll be a part of her journey in the future.

“She’s definitely a people pleaser,” she confirmed. “We all know that, but she wears her heart on her sleeve, and no matter what happens in her life, I don’t think she’ll ever stop doing that.”

Isabella’s relationship with her half-sister, Bobbie, has its ups and downs. Escobedo also touched on how her collaboration with Reba McEntire has influenced her approach to her role in that dynamic. 

“I don’t know what the writers have planned for the dynamic, but I think so far, it’s been really great just seeing Bobby’s walls come down little by little,” Escobedo said. “Isabella is chipping away at them relentlessly. I love being able to see their relationship get a little more comfortable and sisterly.”

Watch the full interview with Bellisa Escobedo:

One thing that Escobedo mentioned about this sitcom format is the many live bloopers that come with the live audiences.

“Oh, love all the bloopers!” Escobedo revealed. “I think those are always my favorite moments to think back on, especially when we have the audience there. It’s an entire experience, and each live show is different because it’s based on the audience and it’s just fun to mess up, then laugh about it.”

In particular, there was one blooper that stood out to Escobedo, which involved a huge crowd at Happy’s Place Tavern for a mini-concert of sorts.

“I want to say it’s an upcoming one where I hire a band for the bar,” Escobedo recalled. “I think that’s upcoming and we had so many extras, more than we usually have. All of us were in the scene, and so navigating that was really a challenge — but it was a fun challenge.”

For movie-goers, Escobedo is also known for playing Jaime Reyes’ sister, Milagro, in the 2023 film Blue Beetle. With it confirmed that Blue Beetle will make his comeback in the DCU, Escobedo hopes the rest of the Reyes family will also return.

“We would be ecstatic to come back, it’s always in talks. It’s so hard to know with this industry, but we’d all be happy to reprise our roles.”

Escobedo recalled seeing the buzz online about Milagro Reyes teaming up with Green Lantern, specifically Guy Gardner: “I know in the comics somewhere, or it was a fan cast, where she and Green Lantern — she becomes one — so that would be cool,” Escobedo recalled.

Even though Blue Beetle‘s Milagro and Happy’s Place‘s Isabella have different personalities, Escobedo believes that having the Reyes family in the tavern would make for a fun episode.

“I think Milagro would make Isabella cry,” Escobedo joked. “The Reyes family in the Happy’s Place Tavern would actually be hilarious. I think that would be so funny!”

—

New episodes of Happy’s Place air Fridays at 8/7c on NBC.

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!