
Dead Sea Squirrels
Some 2,000-year-old squirrels offer some great lessons about both the Bible and life in this clever new Minno series.
Bobbie has been working at her dad’s tavern for 10 years. And for 10 years, things at Happy’s Place have been going her way.
Even after her father, Happy, dies, Bobbie expects everything will stay exactly the same.
The bubbly bartender Gabby will always say she’d “kill” to be Bobbie’s sister. The gentle waiter Takoda will always be kind to everyone. The OCD-ridden accountant Steve will always be a germaphobe. The quiet cook Emmett will always be a silent observer. And—as the new, sole owner of the tavern—Bobbie will always get her way.
And then she meets Isabella.
When Isabella sits at the tavern’s bar, Bobbie assumes she’s just another guest hoping to unwind. After all, Happy always used to say, “People come to Happy’s Place to leave their troubles behind.”
Unfortunately, Isabella seems to be the beginning of Bobbie’s troubles.
Soon after Isabella hops up on a barstool, Bobbie’s lawyer enters the tavern to explain a final section of Happy’s will. And when the lawyer sees Isabella at the bar, he invites her to join the will-reading, too.
“You two share something in common,” the lawyer says to Isabella and Bobbie.
“What’s that?” Bobbie asks.
“A father.”
And according to the will, they will also be sharing the tavern.
So as Bobbie processes the news that her late father had an affair, she must also begin a business partnership with her vivacious little sister, Isabella…who starts to make some vivacious little changes to the tavern.
Like many other television sitcoms, NBC’s Happy’s Place features a cast of quirky characters who learn to care about one another despite their differences.
At first, Bobbie has an extremely difficult time accepting her new family member. Isabella is excited to discover who her father is, but Bobbie is uncomfortable with what Isabella’s existence suggests about her dad. She tells Isabella, “You look at me, and you see the father you wish you had,” but “when I look at you, I lose the father I thought I had.”
Despite the rocky start, Bobbie slowly warms up to Isabella, and their budding relationship seems to offer a transformation for both sisters.
In addition to the feel-good family relationships, Happy’s Place is generally family friendly. Apart from phrases like “shut up” and “screwed,” characters avoid crass language. Perhaps the most significant content concern is the show’s tavern setting, where characters regularly sit at the bar to drink alcohol. Some characters make jokes about consuming too much, but so far, they seem to drink responsibly.
We unfortunately live in a media landscape where a tame show like Happy’s Place could take a drastic turn in its content levels, but for now, it looks like this family-based comedy remains generally family friendly.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Bobbie’s life transforms when she discovers that her late father bequeathed half of his business to his secret daughter, Isabella. Meanwhile, Isabella endeavors to be accepted by her newfound family and coworkers.
The show takes place in a tavern, so naturally, characters drink glasses of alcohol throughout the episode. Additionally, some characters make jokes about overdrinking and using alcohol to cope with their emotions.
After discovering that Isabella is her sister, Bobbie decides to “let God and time sort it out.” Isabella references that she has an ex-boyfriend, but he does not know they have broken up yet. An employee sprays disinfectant on his coworker’s face, though she does not appear to be harmed. Characters keep their language mild, though words like “screwed,” “shut up” and “turd” are used. Isabella wears a crop top throughout the episode.
Some 2,000-year-old squirrels offer some great lessons about both the Bible and life in this clever new Minno series.
Goldie’s about a very, very big girl. The show’s heart is pretty big, too, while its problems are refreshingly tiny.
Unlike some true crime shows, Burden of Guilt steers clear of exploiting victims of tragedy. But its disturbing subject matter might not be for everyone.
The Gen X-targeted nostalgia bait revisits Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry from The Karate Kid … 34 years later.
Our weekly newsletter will keep you in the loop on the biggest things happening in entertainment and technology. Sign up today, and we’ll send you a chapter from the new Plugged In book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family, that focuses on how to implement a “screentime reset” in your family!