I’ve loved comedy for as long as I can remember. Whether it’s traditional sitcoms, stand-up specials, or the dry workplace absurdity of shows like The Office (both UK and US versions), there’s something uniquely satisfying about a show that understands how to land a punchline. I’m also the kind of viewer who laughs much louder than the people sitting next to me, sometimes embarrassingly so. Watching The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, the new mockumentary comedy from NBC, I didn’t even make it thirty seconds before the first laugh hit
The moment comes when Tracy Morgan’s titular former football star narrates his upbringing: “My neighborhood in Brooklyn was rough… and way too close to JFK!” It’s the kind of absurd, out-of-left-field punchline that made Morgan’s character on 30 Rock such a fan favorite. And it sets the tone for what becomes a relentless barrage of jokes.
A Mockumentary About Redemption
The series follows Reggie Dinkins, a disgraced retired NFL star whose career imploded after a gambling scandal turned him into a pariah among fans. Determined to rehabilitate his reputation, and possibly claw his way into the Hall of Fame, Dinkins hires an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker to chronicle his comeback.
That filmmaker is Arthur Tobin, played by Daniel Radcliffe in one of the most unexpectedly perfect pieces of casting on television this year. Tobin, once a celebrated documentarian, is attempting his own career comeback after a spectacular meltdown on the set of a superhero movie goes viral online. Now ostracized by the filmmaking world, he reluctantly takes on Dinkins’ project as a last chance to salvage his reputation.
The premise creates a clever comedic engine: a narcissistic former athlete desperate for redemption and a painfully self-serious filmmaker trying to craft something meaningful out of the chaos. Neither quite gets what they want — which is exactly where the humor thrives.
A Cast That Knows How to Deliver a Joke
The series boasts an ensemble that understands exactly how to play within the show’s mockumentary format.
Erika Alexander (Living Single) plays Monica, Dinkins’ ex-wife who also happens to be his agent, whose performance wonderfully balances the absurdist humor with a grounded reality as she tries to keep her career and ex-husband on track as best she can. Jalyn Hall (All American) appears as their teenage son Carmelo, who would much rather sing in his school’s a cappella group than follow his father into sports. Meanwhile, Precious Way plays Brina (Days of Our Lives), Reggie’s younger influencer fiancée whose aloof confidence provides another comic foil.
Then there’s SNL alum Bobby Moynihan as Rusty, Dinkins’ retired teammate who now lives in the basement and serves as a kind of endlessly supportive, and frequently baffled, sidekick. Moynihan's Rusty got one of my biggest laughs in the pilot episode as his character fumbles the delivery of a clearly rehearsed bit, saying "stands" out loud as he stands up and mouths Dinkins' lines in the background. Moynihan has a knack for quietly stealing scenes, often getting laughs simply by reacting to the chaos unfolding around him and the cherry-on-top one-liner to tag the end of a scene.
Together, the ensemble creates a dynamic rhythm where almost every character gets their moment to shine whether with a long joke or a clever tag at the end of a scene.
Comedy From the Minds Behind 30 Rock
The creative pedigree behind the series is difficult to ignore. The show is helmed by longtime collaborators Robert Carlock and Sam Means, whose writing credits include 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Girls5eva.
Their signature style — dense with jokes, flashbacks, and bizarre non-sequiturs — is immediately recognizable. As occurred frequently on shows like 30 Rock and Family Guy, a character will reference something of the past, cutting to a flashback that never fails to make you laugh.
An example: Monica confronts Reggie for hiring an expensive documentary crew when he has no income, asking “what was the last endorsement I was able to get you?”. This cuts to a flashback of said endorsement where children dressed as flowers are hitting Reggie with foam pool noodles. As foreign text sits on the side of the screen, Reggie yells, “What is this an ad for?!” It turns out that the text reads ‘Stop Climate Change’ in Japanese. (Thank you Google Translate!) A ridiculously brilliant joke.
Scenes frequently feature punchlines arriving at a rapid-fire pace, sometimes stacking jokes back-to-back in ways that reward attentive viewers. Blink and you’ll miss half a dozen jokes. The mockumentary format allows characters to break the fourth wall with perfectly timed glances at the camera or sudden confessional-style interviews that puncture whatever nonsense just occurred.
Some of the funniest moments arrive when characters inadvertently reveal something deeply embarrassing, only to turn to the camera and ask, “Can we not keep that in the doc?” It’s a simple gag, but one that never stops being funny.
The Unexpected Chemistry of Morgan and Radcliffe
What ultimately elevates the series beyond a simple sports satire is the dynamic between Morgan and Radcliffe whose comedic styles could not be more different.
Morgan thrives on over-the-top delivery, the kind that feels like it could veer off the rails at any moment. Radcliffe, by contrast, leans into tightly wound awkwardness and dry understatement and that contrast becomes the show’s secret weapon.
When Dinkins barrels into a situation with absolute confidence and Tobin tries to maintain documentary credibility in the face of absurdity, the tension creates a steady stream of hilarious exchanges. But it also reveals something more interesting beneath the jokes: two men whose public failures have forced them to reassess their lives.
Their unlikely partnership gradually evolves from reluctant collaboration to something approaching friendship.
Network Comedy Still Has Life
For years, it has been easy to assume that the golden age of network sitcoms was behind us. The rise of streaming shifted much of television comedy’s energy elsewhere, leaving broadcast networks struggling to replicate the success of their earlier hits.
Now long-running shows like Ghosts and Abbott Elementary have proven that assumption wrong, and The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is another reminder that great comedy can still thrive on network television.
What makes the show work is its confidence in its comedic voice. It’s unapologetically silly, occasionally heartfelt, and constantly firing off jokes. If a show can make you laugh in the first thirty seconds — and keep doing it episode after episode — that’s a pretty good sign that it’s doing something right.
In a television landscape that can sometimes take itself a little too seriously, a comedy this eager to make audiences laugh — loudly and often — feels like a very welcome return.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Denkins airs new episodes Mondays at 8:30pm ET on NBC, available to stream next day on Peacock.
Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.
Click the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friends.
The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of