Reba McEntire Is Starring in New ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ TV Show — and She’s Playing Our Favorite Character
Reba McEntire is returning to our TV screens! Although she isn’t reviving her hilarious self-titled sitcom (yet), she is sticking to her Southern roots with a series based on the 1987 film Fried Green Tomatoes.
Even better? According to Variety, McEntire is stepping in as our favorite character from the film: Idgie Threadgoode. Originally played by Mary Stuart Masterson, the notoriously headstrong Idgie spends her time both getting into trouble and helping her best friend, Ruth (played by Mary-Louise Parker), get out of it.
The new adaptation will be a modernized hour-long drama set in present-day. The plot will center around Idgie’s return to the small Alabama town of Whistle Stop after spending a decade away. “She must wrestle with a changed town, estranged daughter, faltering café, and life-changing secret,” Variety reports.
If we weren’t already on board, that mysterious description definitely has us itching to tune in! The only catch: It seems like Kathy Bates’s delightful character, Evelyn Couch, won’t fit into the show’s timeline. We’d be lying if we said we weren’t a little bummed about that, but we’re still excited to see how creative they get with new characters and storylines.
On top of starring in the show, McEntire will also serve as an executive producer. She’ll be joined by Norman Lear, who executive produced the 1987 film, and Fannie Flagg, the author of the original novel. If Lear’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s also the man responsible for a ton of our favorite shows, like All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and both the original and current One Day at a Time.
The series will air on NBC, but there’s no word on exactly when we can tune in just yet. Considering the pandemic has slowed down production on several projects (and the world in general), it might be a long wait.
Still, it’s nice having something to look forward to! We’ll just have to re-watch the film in the meantime.
