Tracy Morgan is back with the brilliant minds behind 30 Rock and he could not be happier about it.
In his brand-new NBC comedy series, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, the 57-year-old comedian reunites with Robert Carlock, Sam Means, and Tina Fey, who all worked on 30 Rock, where Morgan played the eccentric but lovable Tracy Jordan. In the new show, Morgan plays the titular character, an ex-NFL player who is banned from the league after betting on his own games… but only to try and get himself to play better, of course.
Those who sit down to watch Reggie Dinkins are guaranteed a few laughs, as well as a few moments that will feel incredibly nostalgic as Morgan is channeling the same energy he brought to Tracy Jordan that the world fell in love with. It’s all a testament to an incredible partnership between the actor and the writers.
“Well, with Tina, Sam and Robert, I feel one word: safe. I know they’ve got my back and they know my voice and they know how to work my sense of humor, which is God-given,” Morgan told DECIDER during a recent sit-down. “They know how to work my sense of humor, and we’re back in the saddle again, so things feel like 30 Rock.”
It may be a similar feeling to 30 Rock, but it’s an entirely new concept with a whole new cast to work with. Alongside Morgan is Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Tobin, a documentarian who decides to follow Reggie’s mission to redeem himself after his NFL ban and exile as a sports star.
Also along for the ride is Erika Alexander as Monica, Reggie’s ex-wife who is also still his agent and business manager, as well as Precious Way who stars as Reggie’s fiancée Brina, Jalyn Hall as Reggie and Monica’s son Carmelo, and SNL alum Bobby Moynihan as Rusty, Reggie’s best friend and former teammate.
Morgan said that while the expectations from fans of his last collab with Fey, Carlock, and Means are high, his only aim is to provide fans who find The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins with the same kind of laughs he grew up with on television. If he can find the funny with this team and with the producers who he trusts implicity, he’s hopeful the success will come again.
“I want people to laugh. I just want people to put their phones away for 20 minutes and see some good old-fashioned TV, like I did watching Archie Bunker and Good Times,” he explained. “And, my god, I won. That’s my feeling. That’s why I went back. I’ve done good work in the past with Tina, Robert, and Sam and I love it.”
“Hopefully, I’ll pray for it, that the lightning strikes twice in the same place,” Morgan said.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins re-premieres Monday, February 23, on NBC at 8/7c. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
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