Reba McEntire is laying down the law in her new movie The Hammer, which premieres Jan. 7 on Lifetime. The made-for-TV flick sees the country music icon reuniting with her Reba co-star Melissa Peterman as well as her fellow Big Sky cast member – and real-life boyfriend – Rex Linn.
Reba McEntire’s new Lifetime movie, ‘The Hammer,’ airs Jan. 7
In The Hammer, McEntire plays Kim Wheeler, an outspoken lawyer who is appointed to be a judge for Nevada’s 5th District, making her one of the few traveling judges left in America. The previous judge died under suspicious circumstances, and now Kim finds herself covering a desolate circuit stretching between Las Vegas and Reno.
Kim’s no-nonsense brand of justice earns her the nickname “The Hammer.” As the investigation into the previous judge’s death heats up, Kim’s sister Kris, who runs a brothel, becomes the prime suspect. Meanwhile, Kim crosses paths with a mysterious cowboy with unclear motives named Bart Crawford. She also leans on her trusted friend Vicky (Kay Shioma Metchie), a tough-talking bailiff who serves as Kim’s right hand.
‘The Hammer’ also features Melissa Peterman and Rex Linn
In The Hammer, McEntire reunites with Peterman, who plays Kim’s sister Kris. On Reba, Peterman played Barbra Jean, the perky dental hygienist who was married to Reba’s ex-husband.
McEntire’s real-life boyfriend Linn – and her Big Sky co-star – also appears in the movie as Bart Crawford. The Better Call Saul actor said he couldn’t get enough of working with his Grammy-winning girlfriend.
“Every scene was fun for me because I was working with her, and I mean that,” Linn told TV Insider. “We’ll wink at each other in the middle of a scene.”
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‘The Hammer’ is inspired by a true story
The Hammer‘s Kim Wheeler is inspired by Kimberly Wanker, a real-life traveling judge in Nevada. Wanker is one of two traveling judges responsible for overseeing cases in two Silver State counties with a combined area roughly the size of West Virginia. The population density is about three people per square mile, according to a 2016 profile of Wanker in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That means a lot of driving, often at a speed that catches the attention of the Nevada Highway Patrol. She has also had to deal with threats from unhappy people who’d like to dispense some frontier justice of their own, which means she travels with a gun and often a bailiff, who can back her up if things get dicey.
So far, Lifetime hasn’t announced a sequel to The Hammer. But McEntire said that Wanker told her she has “so many stories” from her time as a traveling judge. The actor said she hoped to play Kim again in future movies or possibly a series for the network.
“She’s a kind, caring person but a little spitfire. I just fell in love with the character,” McEntire said of the on-screen version of Wanker.
The Hammer airs Saturday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
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