'Reba' Fans Ready For A Tearful Goodbye
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By WALT BELCHER The Tampa Tribune
Published: Feb 18, 2007
TAMPA - When the cast of "Reba" began rehearsal for what would be the final episode, JoAnna Garcia struggled, and then failed, to fight back tears.
Some other cast members thought there might be a last-minute reprieve from The CW because the sitcom is still the highest-rated half-hour comedy on the network.
Some felt that surely the network would pick up the show for nine more episodes to finish out this season.
"But I was a mess," said the 27-year-old actress from Tampa. "At the table read of the script, I had my head down and tears were flowing."
Garcia sensed the end was near even though "Reba" had been saved from cancellation once before.
A year ago, CBS offered her a role on a pilot. She said that when she told her manager that she was committed to "Reba" for another year, he said, "Haven't you heard? It's being canceled."
Garcia didn't know that "Reba" was supposed to be a cost-cutting victim of the merger of UPN with The WB.
Both networks were losing money, and to keep from going under, they became The CW.
"I went to meet the producer of the pilot, which shall remain nameless, and I almost had a nervous breakdown," Garcia said in a recent telephone interview.
A Close-Knit Cast
All she could think about was how nice it had been to work on a series where the cast had become close and work was a pleasure.
"We were like a family, and there was none of the Hollywood ego crap that happens on some shows," she said.
And series star Reba McEntire had been like a mother to her.
In a Tribune interview last year, McEntire praised Garcia.
"She's more than just a good actress; she is a good person," McEntire said.
Garcia didn't take the pilot. "Reba," which had been airing on Friday nights on The WB, was spared for 13 more episodes because of the network's contract with McEntire.
"So we did some of our best episodes this season, and we were moved to Sunday nights, and we're still the network's top-rated comedy," she said.
The curtain falls on "Reba" at 7 tonight with an hourlong finale (two back-to-back episodes).
It brings closure to Garcia, who said she seldom watches herself on television.
"I start seeing too many little flaws," she said.
"There's a cast photo at the end of the show that is the last image viewers will see," she said. "It was taken when we started six years ago, and it's perfect for the ending."
Garcia, a former homecoming queen at Tampa Catholic High School, said it's never easy to say goodbye to people you like.
"But it's time to move on. It's the end of an era for me," she said.
"I spent a good chunk of my life, and most of my 20s, on this show."
The daughter of Jay and Loraine Garcia of Tampa has been acting most of her life. Her father is a well-known south Tampa gynecologist. Her stay-at-home mother has been a big supporter of her career.
Garcia started performing in local theater and TV commercials when she was in elementary school. By the time she was a teenager, she was working in films and TV series that were produced in Florida such as "Second Noah," "Clarissa Explains It All" and "SeaQuest DSV."
She was a regular for two seasons on the Nickelodeon series "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"
After a year at Florida State University, she dropped out and headed to Hollywood. Work came fast with small roles on series such as "Dawson's Creek" and "Party of Five."
She landed a series role as Delta Burke's daughter in the 2000 comedy "DAG" but was cut after the pilot episode. "DAG," about a hapless Secret Service agent (David Alan Grier) who guarded the first lady (Burke), didn't last long.
Garcia went on to a recurring role on the critically acclaimed but short-lived "Freaks and Geeks."
In 2001, she got the part of Cheyenne, a clueless Texas teen and daughter of a single mom on a series that didn't have a title.
"I was cast before Reba, and I went for six weeks without knowing who my mom would be," she said.
Ignored by the media from the beginning, "Reba" seemed like a series that wouldn't last one season when it debuted in 2001.
The premise had McEntire, who is better known for her country music career, playing newly single mom Reba Hart, a woman facing numerous challenges.
Her ex-husband, Brock (Christopher Rich), had left her for his ditzy dental hygienist, Barbara Jean (Melissa Peterman), but both were still in Reba's life.
Meanwhile, Reba's teenage daughter Cheyenne (Garcia) became pregnant by a high school jock (Steve Howey). They would marry and move in with mom and Cheyenne's younger siblings, Kyra (Scarlett Pomers) and Jake (Mitch Holleman).
Nothing Alike At First
Over the run of the series, Cheyenne battled alcoholism and struggled with being a young mother.
"She [Cheyenne] was nothing like me in the beginning, but over the years, I think she picked up some of my nuances," Garcia said.
She and McEntire quickly bonded, Garcia said, and will probably be lifetime friends.
Garcia compares being out of work with being single again. She's available and looking for work but not for love.
She's currently dating Trace Ayala, a fashion designer and entrepreneur from Tennessee who is based in Los Angeles. He may be best known as a lifelong pal of pop singer Justin Timberlake.
Garcia, who recently bought a home in the Hollywood Hills, said she is not "auditioning like a mad woman."
"I am being really choosy about the next project," she said.
She has two projects that are on the table for serious consideration: One is a drama, and the other is a comedy on which she would have a starring role.
Prior to "Reba," she appeared headed for a career in drama series or films.
"But being on the show helped me embrace comedy," she said. "'Reba' was never boring for me."
ON TELEVISION
Reba
WHAT: Series finale for the sitcom starring Reba McEntire and Tampa's JoAnna Garcia
WHEN: 7 tonight
WHERE: The CW
Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.
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