‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ Is the Funniest Series of the Year

When I first thought, “Is ‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ the funniest show on television?”, I worried saying as much would be damning the uproarious NBC sitcom with faint praise. After all, the modern TV landscape is awash with crime shows, genre mash-ups, and I.P. brand extensions. Bad comedies abound (and tend to be mercifully easy to spot), but great ones? Hmm. At least the most recent Emmy winner for Best Comedy Series is an actual comedy, but the nominees (including a feel-good weeper, a rom-com heavy on the rom, and that cooking drama) were still emblematic of a Hollywood era when laughs aren’t the top priority. So, returning to the original question, how many funny funny shows actually came out this year? Turns out, quite a few. “Adults” jumps to mind among recent releases for its successful Season 2 evolution into a hang-worthy Gen-Z hangout sitcom. “Colin From Accounts” capped a three-year run that saw the Aussie romantic-comedy get stronger every season. “Youth” has Sharon Horgan back at the top of her game (let’s not speak of “Bad Sisters” Season 2), and “The Comeback” did the impossible by delivering a worthy successor to one of HBO’s greatest-ever TV seasons. Then there’s trusty comedy staples like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Abbott Elementary,” which don’t need another crossover to keep us laughing, as well as the half-comedies that feel full to anyone with the same funny bone, like “The Lowdown” (a noir comedy), “The Audacity” (a black-comic drama), and “Trying” (a family comedy). I didn’t even mention the final season of “Hacks” (which is great) or the first (and hopefully final) season of “The Hawk” (which is not). “Reggie Dinkins” tops them all. Following fallen NFL running back Reggie Dinkins (Tracy Morgan), decades after he’s ousted from the league for gambling, Season 2 picks up amid incremental progress toward his crowning redemption: making the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His documentarian, Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe), is still searching for the right angle to support their comeback film (Arthur needs it as much as Reggie wants it), while Reggie’s agent and ex-wife Monica (Erika Alexander) tries to build on the little momentum they gained at the end of last season (when Reggie earned his first votes ever). The irresistible ensemble doesn’t have a weak link. The staging is vibrant. The writing is as happy to delve into topical subject matter (like documentary subjects paying their documentarians) as it is to revel in carefree absurdity (like a harebrained murder-conspiracy or calamitous Thanksgiving gathering). And every element of it is always focused on being funny. Not only is Robert Carlock and Sam Means’ NBC sitcom designed to squeeze in as many jokes as the human brain can process in 21-minute chunks, it’s also carefully paced and polished to keep those jokes as superb and surprising as possible. Take a check-your-phone-and-you’ll-miss-it gag from the Season 2 premiere: Monica is struggling to keep up with the media landscape’s sprawling marketing opportunities and admits she booked Reggie on the wrong show: She mixed up Pablo Torres’ sports podcast with Julio Torres’ “something.” Quick cut to Julio (as himself) interviewing Reggie about “the color clear.” There’s a laugh in recognizing Monica’s mistake, another laugh in Julio’s question (“What do you think about the color clear?”), and another laugh in Reggie’s response (“A lot!”). But rather than one joke stepping on the next, they amplify one another. Monica’s explanation is given the most space to land, since technically it’s setting up the cutaway jokes to come. Those jokes hit one after the next, but in a rhythm that makes them easy to process independently. They’re calibrated to keep you laughing all the way through, but they’re not so rushed that you feel overwhelmed instead of entertained. Precious Way, Tracy Morgan, and Bobby Moynihan in ‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins‘Courtesy of Scott Gries / NBC That’s the magic (or maybe the math) behind what’s recognized as Tina Fey (an EP on “Dinkins”) and Robert Carlock’s comedy style, as established by their landmark sitcom, “30 Rock” and extended more successfully than not in comedies like “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (where they picked up Radcliffe), “Great News,” “Mr. Mayor,” and “Girls5Eva.” Carlock continues it here with Means, who worked on all those shows, while relying on their proven bonds with Morgan, Radcliffe, and stealth MVP Bobby Moynihan to maintain the right balance. (Moynihan’s understanding of tone and timing is impeccable, and he’s such a joyful presence it’s hard not to smile whenever Rusty surfaces.) The Season 2 premiere illustrates the trust the writers’ have in their entire acting company. The story still pivots around Morgan’s lovable doofus, but the emphasis is elsewhere. Arthur is dying for the family to find out about Reggie’s son Carmelo (Jalyn Hall) and his secret relationship with Delilah Basmati (Arica Himmel), daughter of Reggie’s nemesis, Jerry Basmati (Craig Robinson). Brina (Precious Way) gets close, while Monica is busy hiring a new assistant “head of publicity” to help her tap into younger markets with a broader reach. Moynihan’s Rusty is everywhere, chipping in enough quips, reaction shots, and physical comedy to convey his supportive yet integral presence in each character’s life. By the time our original dynamic duo gets a cathartic moment near the episode’s end, it’s hard not to notice that Reggie and Arthur almost feel like an afterthought — and that’s just fine. They take back control in the ensuing episodes, after “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” proves it can thrive no matter who gets to press the most buttons. The joke-delivery machine is operating at peak volume, and it needs every capable hand to keep its performance at the same incredible sweep. With only four episodes screened for review, there’s plenty of time for Season 2 to break down. The charming vibe could fade, the sharp jokes could soften, the elastic performances could calcify. But not only does Carlock and co.’s lengthy track record suggest the opposite trajectory, so does the excitement shown in creating this specific project. You can feel it in the ideas, big and small, throughout “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins,” and their cumulative impact makes the series special — not because of a general dearth in great comedies, or even because it harkens back to an era of Must-See TV, when multiple classic sitcoms airing on the same night spoiled viewers with an abundance of laughs. It’s just because laughing this hard, this often, is a gift. And there’s nothing faint about it. Grade: A- “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” Season 2 premieres Monday, November 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC. New episodes will be released weekly and made available on Peacock the next day.