Jane Lynch Guest Stars on Happy’s Place in “Hilarious” Role

Get ready for some sore abs as the hysterical Jane Lynch arrives on Season 2 of Happy’s Place, shaking things up for beloved bartender Gabby (Melissa Peterman).

Season 2’s “A New Chapter” — airing Friday, March 20 on NBC — is set to be jam-packed with laughs as Gabby’s infamous mother, Val, played by Lynch, turns up at the Knoxville tavern. While Bobbie (Reba McEntire) is tasked with navigating Gabby and Val’s complicated mother-daughter dynamic, Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) and Steve (Pablo Castelblanco) will be inspired to get to the bottom of whether those wild stories Gabby has shared are true or tall tales.

NBC Insider spoke with the Happy’s Place cast and executive producers about Lynch’s arrival, and they couldn’t be more excited for viewers to see the comedic powerhouse’s performance.

“Jane Lynch was just iconic,” Castelblanco gushed. “She came in and blew it out of the park. [She’s] also a fantastic person — such a giving actor, so funny. I’m so happy she’s also in our family.”

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Jane Lynch “does something so specific” with her Happy’s Place character Val

Happy’s Place executive producer and co-creator Kevin Abbott tells NBC Insider that after Gabby’s many eyebrow-raising anecdotes surrounding her mother, they knew they needed to get “somebody great” to bring the epically elusive Val to life.

“It’s always scary when you write that character because if you don’t find the right one, you’ve just blown this great character,” Abbott shared, adding that once they heard Lynch was available, they sent her the scripts. Lynch said yes, and the Happy’s Place writers got to work.

Abbott added that having Lynch potentially return as Gabby’s mother was top of mind when penning Val “because it’s such a great character.”

“Luckily, we’ve had her on several times this season,” he revealed. “The role, she just… Oh, my God, she’s so good.”

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Happy’s Place executive producer and director Pamela Fryman also told NBC Insider that Lynch’s new character is an absolute must-see for comedy fans.

“We’ve seen her do so much in so many wonderful shows, but she does something so specific as this character that is so hilarious and grounded and ridiculous,” Fryman revealed while chatting about the Glee icon and her connection with her on-screen daughter. “Melissa is such a huge fan — we all are, obviously — and every bit of it is hilarious. Every minute of it is great. She’s something.”

“People love playing with her,” Abbott added, explaining that Lynch “elevates those scenes.”

“She’s the only one who has ever made Pablo break during a take. He doesn’t break. He’s brilliant, you know?” Abbott revealed. “He says things and gets into situations, and he never breaks. I’m stuck because I’m over there behind the camera, laughing my a– off. She did just a little thing… and he [broke character], he could not help himself every single time.”

Melissa Peterman says Jane Lynch is “the perfect person” to play Gabby’s mom on Happy’s Place

The honor of starring opposite Lynch on Happy’s Place hasn’t been lost on Peterman, who told NBC Insider that every episode she filmed with Lynch was “amazing.” 

“She was everything I dreamed and wanted and thought she would be,” Peterman said, revealing she’s a “huge fan” of Lynch due to their shared Midwest origins and backgrounds in improv comedy.

“If I had a Mount Rushmore of comedy, she would be one of the women on it for me,” Peterman shared, citing Best in Show and Lynch’s Emmy-winning performance in Glee as some bespoke examples of Lynch’s “brilliant” comedic timing. “She just delivers every time, and she’s so funny.”

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Peterman added that Lynch’s debut as Val will be a lightbulb moment for Happy’s Place fans. “I feel like Jane is the perfect person to walk through those doors at Happy’s Place,” she said. “The audience is gonna go, ‘Oh, OK, this makes sense.”

While the episode will deliver “a lot of laughs,” Peterman revealed we’ll also get a glimpse into “why Gabby is who she is and maybe some of that childhood trauma” when we meet Val, describing the character as “very charming.” And despite their estranged relationship, Peterman says, at the end of the day, “Gabby still wants her mom.”

“It was just so fun to do a scene with her,” Peterman gushed. “It was that kind of acting day where you come home, and I’m just smiling the whole time… I’m excited for the audience to see it. I could really gush all day. She’s just everything.”

RELATED: Stream Every Hilarious Episode of Happy’s Place Here 

How to watch Jane Lynch’s episode of Happy’s Place

Mark your calendars and set your reminders! Lynch’s episode of Happy’s Place — Season 2, Episode 14 “A New Chapter” — airs on Friday, March 20, at 8/7c on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock. 

Reporting by Stephanie Gomulka and Tara Bennett