You know when you find a new show, and it feels like you hit the entertainment jackpot? Just me? That’s how I feel watching NBC’s The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.
Tracy Morgan plays the title character, a disgraced former NFL player seeking to regain respect after being banned for a gambling scandal. In the first episode, he explains exactly what he gambled on, and it made me cackle. Dinkins’ plan to be adored again takes the form of a documentary, so he hires director Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe) to make him look good.
Tobin also has an embarrassing past but puts on a facade until Reggie’s manager and ex-wife, Monica (played by Erika Alexander), finds out. I’m trying not to give too much away from episode one, but other characters include Rusty (Reggie’s former teammate and best friend), played by Bobby Moynihan, Carmelo (Reggie and Monica’s teenage son), played by Jalyn Hall, and Brina (Reggie’s fiancée), played by Precious Way.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins combines all of my favorite genres
The show falls into the categories of sports, mockumentary, and sitcom, all of which are my favorites. Tracy Morgan’s character and the others speak to each other, knowing the camera is right there in the house or outside filming them. One thing that makes me laugh is the reality-TV-like confessionals, where Dinkins or the others explain why they said certain things or felt a certain way.
In simpler terms, they break the fourth wall in a way that just works. It isn’t “trying too hard humor,” there are references to current pop culture, but not in a way that feels like your grandfather trying to “be hip.”
I saw promos for the series during Super Bowl LX but didn’t really pay attention to it until I was caught up on season two of Brilliant Minds (um, NBC, when will the rest of the episodes air??). I needed something else to watch, and instead of going back to my comfort shows, I gave The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins a chance, and I’m glad I did.
It airs on Mondays on NBC, but I watch it when it’s available on Peacock. It’s now one of the many shows I watch on the streaming service.