Somehow, it’s been over 13 years since we bid farewell to Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon and the rest of the TGS crew on 30 Rock, and for those who are still mourning the loss of one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, the crew is back with something new for the 2026 TV schedule. The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins premiered February 23 (after a post-NFL sneak peek in January), and critics who have seen the full first season are sharing their thoughts on Tracy Morgan’s new comedy.
Reggie Dinkins apparently exists in the same universe as 30 Rock, so keep your eye out for easter eggs. Tracy Morgan stars as the titular ex-NFL star, who hires a documentary crew in hopes of rehabbing his image after a gambling scandal. The comedy comes from 30 Rock showrunner Robert Carlock and writer Sam Means, with an ensemble cast including Bobby Moynihan, Daniel Radcliffe and Erika Alexander. Those 30 Rock connections are definitely felt, according to Matt Goldberg of The Wrap, but the new series stands out by subverting expectations. The critic writes:
All the actors are more than game to appear as silly as possible. For Morgan, there are certainly traces here of Tracy Jordan, but the writers have clearly worked to figure out how a faded sports star would differ from a faded comic actor. The solution is to make Reggie not so much a complication like Jordan would be for Liz Lemon, but the show’s warm center who can’t get out of his own way. ... It’s the rapid-fire comedy and weird moments that stop the show from being too saccharine.
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert says Tracy Morgan and his supporting cast are easy to root for and keep the laughs coming in The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. Robert Carlock — showrunner of 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt — might just have another hit on his hands. Tallerico says:
A show built around Morgan’s goofy, likable personality, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins has Carlock’s quick wit in a show that spoofs sports culture and documentary filmmaking but is ultimately about second chances and defying expectations. Most importantly, after a bit of rockiness in the early episodes, it’s a consistently funny show, one that could ultimately stand alongside Carlock’s previously acclaimed creations.
Tania Hussain of Collider says the NBC series puts a fresh spin on mockumentaries, thanks to Daniel Radcliffe’s Arthur Tobin. His motivations mean the cameras filming Reggie are more of a liability to the characters than a gimmick like in other series. The critic gives it 9 out of 10 and explains:
The camera is never objective or silent because it belongs to Arthur, an award-winning director who’s too pretentious, fragile, and emotionally invested to pretend he isn’t shaping the story in real-time. That push-and-pull turns the comedy into a sharp riff on image control, public shame, and all the increasingly ridiculous ways people try to rewrite their own legacy when eyes are on them. Having watched the entire show twice, it’s by far one of the sharpest comedies from the past five years. With heart and humor that sneaks up on you and one-liners that are sure to stick, it’s more than just a must-watch this season, but also one of the best new comedies of 2026.
Judy Berman of Time says co-creators Robert Carlock and Sam Means — as well as Tracy Morgan — are at the top of their game, with The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins serving as network TV’s first worthy heir to 30 Rock. What that sitcom was to Saturday Night Live, this one is to the NFL, Berman says, writing:
Quick cutaways to vertical videos or schlocky ads or an ESPN-style panel show called Sports Shouting echo our screen-mediated reality. Pop culture geekery remains the lingua franca of Feyworld, diving down rabbit holes on Russell Crowe’s band and the Korean radical-feminist movement 4B. Reggie’s favorite procedural is called FDNY: Chicago (solemn narrator: 'In the New York Fire Department, there is a special unit that fights fires in Chicago'). The unhinged brilliance of peak-era 30 Rock might be impossible to recreate. But in its first season, Reggie Dinkins already qualifies as a hell of a comeback.
Belen Edwards of Mashable calls Reggie Dinkins “catnip for 30 Rock fans,” saying that Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe are a match made in comedy heaven. The lightning-fast jokes, unexpected pop culture references and cutaway gags will leave you “gasping for air” (in fact, one joke in the premiere nearly made our own Eric Eisenberg fall off of his couch). Edwards concludes:
[The creators’] familiarity with the genre gets a bigger chance to shine across a full season, especially as they bring behind-the-scenes characters like Arthur in front of the camera. Watching Arthur embrace being on-camera adds a new dimension to the show's mockumentary approach, setting it apart from the strong crop of current mockumentary sitcoms like Abbott Elementary, St. Denis Medical, and The Paper. As a result, and with the inspired combination of Morgan and Radcliffe, Reggie Dinkins is a winning sitcom that feels both familiar and fresh.
Well, the critics are definitely all in agreement that Tracy Morgan’s new sitcom is one we need to check out. In fact, the series premiered to a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, so be sure to check out new episodes at 8 p.m. ET Mondays on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.
