Reba McEntire delivers swift justice (and a gavel to the head!) in the first trailer for the Lifetime original movie The Hammer.
As previously reported, the project reunites McEntire with Reba costar Melissa Peterman. The made-for-TV film is inspired by the life of traveling circuit judge Kim Wanker, and casts McEntire as Kim Wheeler, “an outspoken, firecracker lawyer who is appointed Judge of the 5th District of Nevada,” and Peterman as Kim’s sister Kris, the local brothel owner (!) who becomes a prime suspect in the murder of Kim’s predecessor (!!). As a result, Kim is forced to “work even harder to make certain the appropriate justice is served,” according to the official synopsis.
The cast also includes McEntire’s real-life boyfriend, CSI: Miami vet Rex Linn, and Totally Normal‘s Kay Shioma Metchie.
Reba McEntire’s #TheHammer Coming in 2023 on @lifetimetv pic.twitter.com/XTnaEroeBn
— Reba McEntire (@reba) August 11, 2022
Reba first premiered on The WB in 2001, running for six seasons (and 125 episodes) through 2007. The series told the story of Reba Hart, a single mom who worked too hard, who loved her kids and never stopped after longtime husband Brock left her for his ditzy dental hygienist, Peterman’s Barbra Jean. Over the course of the series, Reba warmed to Barbra Jean despite her best efforts to keep Brock’s second wife at an arm’s length — something that proved all the more difficult once Brock and Barbra Jean bought the house next door.
McEntire previously reunited with Peterman on CMT’s Working Class and Freeform’s Baby Daddy. Interestingly, while both McEntire and Peterman currently recur on CBS’ Young Sheldon, sometimes even appearing in the same episode, their characters — June Ballard and Brenda Sparks — have never crossed paths. (Linn, who also recurs on the Big Bang Theory prequel as Principal Petersen, only recently shared a scene with Peterman’s Brenda in the Jan. 27 episode, “A Lock-In, a Weather Girl and a Disgusting Habit.”)
A premiere date for The Hammer has not yet been announced, though it’s currently penciled in for “2023.” In the meantime, McEntire fans can look forward to the country singer’s turn in Season 3 of ABC’s Big Sky (premiering Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 10/9c; watch trailer).
Watch the trailer for Reba McEntire’s The Hammer above, then hit the comments with your reactions.
