My long experience in the field of television watching (I love my job) has taught me to always be wary when it comes to pilots – especially for comedies. It’s the unavoidable job of a debut episode to set up various characters and storylines, and when you’re handling that much exposition, it can be difficult to also properly expose the show’s comic voice and be truly funny. I’ve learned to lower my standards to a healthy extent and will hope for better if I’m keen enough on a premise and ensemble.
The Fall And Rise Of Reggie Dinkins is not a show that requires these low standards, however. After watching the premiere that is now streaming on Peacock in advance of the NBC series debut next month, I am 100 percent on board and invested. On top of having a fun plot and characters, I found myself consistently laughing from beginning to end – and one particular joke hit me so hard that I had to hit pause because I was missing too much of the show.
Tracy Morgan stars as the titular Reggie Dinkins, who is introduced as a controversial former National League Football star who was ousted from the sport after revelations that he was betting on himself for motivation. Years later, he lives in a New Jersey mansion with his best friend/former teammate (Bobby Moynihan), is engaged to a young influencer (Precious Way), and has a complicated relationship with his ex-wife/agent (Erika Alexander), with whom he has a teenage son (Jalyn Hall). As he works to try and repair his public image, he begins collaborating with a documentary filmmaker (Daniel Radcliffe) who wants to tell his story… but has a bit of baggage of his own.
Joining Netflix’s The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as part of the 30 Rock canon, Reggie Dinkins is created by Robert Carlock and Sam Means, who each have deep ties with both shows (Carlock also being the co-creator of Kimmy Schmidt), and that history is clear in the comedy, as the material is particularly perfect for Tracy Morgan. The man has a special knack when it comes to selling a perverse blend of weird and dumb, and the aforementioned joke that rocked me and required some extra recovery time is a perfect example: in a discussion about Reggie’s questionable choices, it’s pointed out that he made the decision to purchase a very odd collectable, and I nearly fell off my couch:
Reggie, when you asked me, I said, 'Don't make a documentary.' I also said don't buy that football made out of the original Miss Piggy.
If I’ve done anything to pique your curiosity about the show, you can check out the pilot of The Fall And Rise Of Reggie Dinkins with a Peacock subscription now. After you do so, you can join me in waiting for the official NBC premiere on Monday, February 23.
