The Laughs Are Consistent on NBC’s Clever “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”
Robert Carlock, creator of “30 Rock” and creator of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” is back on network TV with a show called “Remember How Sweet Tracy Morgan Can Be?” A play built around Morgan’s mischievous, beloved persona, “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” features Carlock’s quick wit in a show that subverts sports culture and documentary filmmaking but is ultimately about second chances and defying expectations. Most importantly, after a bit of faltering in the early episodes, it’s a consistent comedy, which can finally stand alongside Carlock’s previously popular creations.
Co-created by Carlock and Sam Means (Emmy winner of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and writer on “30 Rock” and “Parks and Recreation”), “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” is a mockumentary that focuses on its mockumentarian, a film producer named Arthur Tobin (perfect actor Daniel Radcliffe). Oscar-winning filmmaker Tobin had a viral meltdown on the set of a superhero movie that was nothing more than blue screens and tennis balls instead of real people. Shunned by the documentary community, he wants to make a comeback by making his own “OJ: Made in America” or “The Last Dance” with a film about Reggie Dinkins (Tracy Morgan), a famous New York Jets player who was kicked out of the NFL when he accidentally called a national sports network to discuss his latest bet on behalf of his bookie. The Jets fell apart there, and Dinkins became such an enemy in New York that he can’t leave the house without being yelled at by a fan. He hopes Tobin’s movie can give him the comeback he desires, and maybe even get him into the Hall of Fame.
Dinkins has four people around his life who become the main parts of Tobin’s documentary within the show. First, there’s Monica (Erika Alexander), Reggie’s ex-wife and agent, desperately trying to hang on to his few remaining celebrity clients while working alone to rebuild his legacy. There’s Carmelo (Jalyn Hall), Monica and Reggie’s son, a good kid who knows how to take advantage of his rich father and chooses to sing in his school’s acapella group rather than follow most people in sports. There’s Brina (Precious Way), Reggie’s persuasive fiancee, a character introduced as a bit of a throwaway, but who proves to be more than just a flighty, young-girl role. Finally, there’s the hilarious Bobby Moynihan as Rusty, a former colleague who lives with Reggie and supports him in all his dumb decisions. Moynihan plays Rusty as a wide-eyed bouncer, which is the idea that Chris Farley’s character from “Tommy Boy” grew up to be a football player. It’s a ridiculously supportive opportunity.
Like the acclaimed comedies Carlock and Means have worked on in the past, “Reggie Dinkins” works primarily because of its sharp juxtaposition, even if it’s a vehicle designed to elevate Morgan’s unique comedic timing. Reggie is a classic Morgan character, a guy who might not be the smartest guy in the room but he’s easy to root for, especially when Craig Robinson shows up as Reggie’s sidekick and now-retired, Michael Strahan-esque character who will do whatever it takes to get Dinkins out of the hall.
Morgan gets consistent laughs throughout the first season of “Dinkins,” but so does the rest of the cast. Radcliffe captures the psychological concerns of Tobin, someone who thinks the project is beneath him but needs it to spark his career, and someone who quickly comes to love Dinkins and his family. Way, Hall, and Moynihan get laughs every episode, but Alexander might be the first season’s MVP as he not only has comedic moments but does a great job of establishing a show that sometimes veers into the absurd. Alexander plays Monica’s journey straight, whether she’s trying to fight her way back into the business administration industry or a reality show addict with Rusty.
Network TV comedies were at their best in the era of cord-cutting, but the occasional miracle can come from the crowd like “Abbott Elementary” and “Ghosts” (and many of you should watch “St. Denis Medical,” the current top comedy of the big four.) There could be a little TV justice in a show about a fading star trying to reclaim a bygone era when people use NBC as the best TV in restoring prime-time TV glory. on the way back. sitcom for years. I believe in you, Reggie Dinkins.
The entire season was screened for review. The first episode is now airing on Peacock and the second episode starts airing today, February 23, every week from now on.
