Steven Prusakowski
It takes a lot to make me laugh, but if the humor hits just the right note, I crack up. The choir of comedic voices in The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, the new NBC mockumentary-style sitcom, nailed that note over and over again. It’s no wonder the rapid-fire comedy hits so well. It comes from a team with an amazing track record: created by Robert Carlock and Sam Means (with Tina Fey among the executive producers), the minds behind 30 Rock.
The series stars Tracy Morgan as the titular Reggie Dinkins, a disgraced former NFL running back banned for life after a gambling scandal. He accidentally dialed a sports network instead of his bookie to place bets on his own team. Eager for redemption and a shot at the Hall of Fame, Reggie recruits washed-up, Oscar-winning filmmaker Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe) to craft an epic comeback documentary to help his cause. Everything unfolds in Reggie’s chaotic New Jersey home, surrounded by his sharp ex-wife and business manager/agent Monica Reese-Dinkins (Erika Alexander, known for the breakthrough comedy Living Single), teenage son Carmelo (Jalyn Hall), influencer fiancée Brina (Precious Way), and his former teammate/best friend Rusty Boyd (Bobby Moynihan), who crashes in his basement.
The ensemble is a true choir of comedic voices, with each actor finding their unique tone alone, and together they create harmonious hilarity. The series masterfully weaves all these comic voices seamlessly as they each bring their own comedic energy. No matter who’s on screen, you’re primed for laughs, and the shifting combinations spark new dynamics, chemistry, and comedic flavors every time. There’s not a weak link.
Morgan delivers the manic, goofy, charismatic energy that’s become his trademark, a filterless fountain of humor. Radcliffe nails deadpan precision, perfectly playing the straight man who adds to the insanity when you least expect it. Erika Alexander shines with nuanced comic timing, her flawless reaction shots frequently delivering the perfect exclamation point to cap off a joke. Moynihan brings his lovable-weirdo energy, perfected during his SNL days. He is easily the goofiest of the crew and scores some of my biggest laughs. Way is a revelation, injecting confident sass into her influencer/girlfriend role in a way that feels fresh and lights up every scene she is in, while Hall scores big laughs as Reggie’s son just trying to step out of his dad’s shadow. The roster is stacked. Whoever is handed the ball, they run with it.
Some might call the humor stupid, but it’s quite the opposite. It is so smart that it can convincingly play stupid for maximum laughs. You won’t walk away smarter, but the show consistently delivers a mental workout, forcing you to keep up with its relentless pace and dizzying variety of jokes: physical, referential, slapstick, goofy, absurd, self-referential, pop-culture, quick-witted wordplay, and escalating ensemble chaos.
It’s a barrage of humor that lands far more often than it misses. It feels like every line delivery and every reaction shot is either landing a joke or setting one up. With that said, heed this warning: this isn’t background TV. Treating it as such does a disservice to the comic artistry and to you as the viewer. If you’re not giving your full attention, you’ll miss the subtle comic timing that elevates each joke. I was laughing so much that I had to go back for a second viewing to catch the jokes I missed the first time. On rewatch, some gags hit even harder, while others take a little time to connect the dots. The punchline sinks in five seconds later, and I burst out laughing, delayed.
Unexpectedly, it taps into the heart too when you least expect it, with short but sweet sincere moments right before the next joke lands. Like Tracy himself, you never know exactly what you’ll get, but it’s always authentically him. The best endorsement? I kept going back for more, devouring episodes purely for enjoyment, not obligation or for review purposes. While very different, the last show that gripped me this way was What We Do in the Shadows, another ensemble of comic voices with a very dense roster of comic talent.
For a freshman series, the future looks promising for Reggie Dinkins. It has found its footing early on and continues to build on it. The first episode is the weakest, but by the third the writers have found their groove.
During my interviews with the cast, they were hyped to talk about their comedy family. Daniel Radcliffe discussed the blending of comic voices: “What Tracy does, it’s unteachable and it’s unlearnable. He’s just got this comedy charisma that is just there and at 100% all the time. Bobby is similar. There’s a studiousness and a precision to what Bobby does as opposed to the chaos of Tracy. But they’re both brilliantly funny… as the series goes on, we both get progressively more insane. It’s nuts.”
Erika Alexander also reflected on the chemistry: “These are brilliant people who are really good at what they do. What you don’t know is whether we’ll have chemistry together. And that right there is just like a Hail Mary. And we caught it. I was intimidated because I want to be good. It matters to me, to be in this space, to be invited to play.”
Bobby Moynihan shared the set’s energy: “The second we stopped shooting the final shot, everyone just started dancing and there was like an impromptu dance party for like 25 minutes… I haven’t been on a show that was like that joyous in a while.” He also reminisced about Tracy’s SNL returns and the thrill of working with his idol.
Tracy Morgan emphasized their goal: “We just want to do good TV. We want everybody in the house to put their phones down and to be like, ‘Come on everyone it’s on!’” channeling the spirit of classics like I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, and All in the Family.
Precious Way highlighted the uplift of working with such talent: “It’s easy to kind of find your groove when you know where the symphony goes and how it flows. Being around everybody and everybody uplifting each other has definitely made that process so much easier.”
This is one of the funniest shows on TV. In a time where we can all use an escape, it lives in a positive space that lets you block out the rest of the world 30 minutes at a time. Plus, the series title carries with it built-in optimism – the Fall and Rise – making it easier to watch knowing that we eventually witness Reggie fall upwards toward redemption. It’s a comedic touchdown.
SCORE: ★★★★1/2 out of 5 stars
You can watch new episodes of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins on Monday nights at 8:30 pm ET on NBC, then streaming on Peacock. And be sure to watch my interviews with the cast and creators for more insight into the making of the series.
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