Mockumentary comedy lives or dies on its rhythm, and the second season of this sitcom keeps its jokes arriving faster than the audience can recover from the last one. The setting is familiar, an absurd workplace where ambition and incompetence are evenly distributed, but the execution is sharper than most attempts at the format. Side characters get real punchlines instead of serving as scenery, and the show trusts silence as much as dialogue, which is unusual for something built on constant verbal noise. Comparisons to older network favourites are inevitable, and largely fair. What separates this run from a mere imitation is confidence. The writers know exactly how long to hold a reaction shot, when to cut away from a joke rather than explain it, and how to let a running gag evolve instead of repeating it verbatim. Anyone who misses the era of fast, cynical sitcoms will find this a comfortable replacement, and one that is more interested in character than in catchphrases.
Returning for its sophomore season on Monday night on NBC, the half-hour sitcom continues to find humor in the most absurd situations alongside a cast that treats every outrageous line as perfectly normal. Created byRobert CarlockandSam Means,The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkinswas alreadyone of TV’s funniest new comedies of the yearwhen it premiered this past winter, but if the first season established its odd, screwball humor,Season 2 shows how much more mileage it can get out of these characters.
With the first two episodes provided for review, the new season is seemingly packed with wonderfully stupid jokes, surprising sweetness, and the kind of laugh-a-minute comedy that made its spiritual sibling30 Rocksuch a delight in the first place. Within the show’s initial few minutes in the premiere, “We Keep the Kisses,” it’s clear the single-camera sitcom has only elevated its brilliant humor and wit.
‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ Season 2 Finds New Problems for Its Lovable Messes
With his reputation slowly recovering after a gambling scandal ended his football career, Reggie is looking for ways to return to the spotlight. His ex-wife and manager, Monica (Erika Alexander), does her best to capitalize on revitalized visibility, while documentary filmmaker Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe) continues recording what he hopes will become an Oscar-worthy comeback story. But the problem is that everyone has their own idea of what success looks like, and Reggie’s ambitions aren’t necessarily at the top of anyone’s list. With hisSaturday Night Liveappearance finally available to stream and new opportunities coming his way,Reggie believes his comeback might actually be working. Of course, keeping that momentum going is another matter entirely.
Season 2 uses that tension without making things too serious. Monica tries to modernize her business, Arthur becomes concerned with his credibility as a filmmaker, and Reggie’s best friend Rusty (Bobby Moynihan) faces questions over the value he brings to the household. Meanwhile, Reggie and Monica’s son Carmelo (Jalyn Hall) begins navigating aRomeo and Juliet-type romancecomplicated by his dad’s rivalry with Jerry Basmati (CraigRobinson), and Reggie’s fiancée, Brina (Precious Way), has her own frustrations with the household. Everyone tries to move forward, but they are also not too sure how to handle what comes next.
What makes the season opener and second episode so enjoyable is how the show finds fresh complications without needing to reinvent its premise.Reggie’s comeback remains the focal point, and the reason everyone sticks together, but the show is interested in what people around him want for themselves. Whether it’s professional independence or financial stability, their ambitions rarely line up, and that results in a season thatgives everyone something to pursue without losing sight of the dysfunction that brought them together.
Four of the largest communities on the planet, and four completely different reasons to belong to one. Here is yours, what it would give you, and the argument you would be having within a week.
You belong to the fandom that is really about comfort. Hogwarts works on people because it is a place rather than a plot, and the pull is not the wizard war so much as the corridors, the food, the weather and the sense that somebody is expecting you.
You belong to the deepest fandom on this list, the one where somebody has always read further than you and is quietly delighted to say so. Middle-earth rewards patience more than any other world in popular culture.
You belong to the loudest and largest tent of the four, the one where three generations are all watching the same thing and none of them agree about any of it. That disagreement is not a flaw in this fandom, it is the main activity.
You belong to the thinking fandom, the one that turns up for the argument rather than the explosion. Trek has always been a series of ethical problems in space, and the people who love it love being asked what they would have done.
The Jokes Come So Fast on ‘Reggie Dinkins,’ There’s Barely Time to Recover
Much like30 Rock,The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkinshas a fondness for ridiculous cutaways, unexpected punchlines, andjokes that get funnier the less you think about them. There’s also barely any time to recover from one laugh before another arrives, and that’s the show’s greatest strength. With writers who have a knack for turning the most ordinary situations into complete nonsense,Season 2 opens the door to some downright LOL moments, like a pizza order that sounds good in theory but absolutely isn’t, or Reggie proudly recalling that he used to eat cereal with a fork so he could save the milk for the next person. Add in a stress-relieving chair that gives Arthur considerablymorepleasure than he expected, and the result iswonderfully ridiculous humor that works because the show commits to every bit.
Season 2 also finds plenty to laugh about in the increasingly strange world of celebrity and social media.Saturday Night Live’sJeremy Culhaneis a particularly hilarious addition as Max, a prospective publicity hire whose understanding of the digital landscape is considerably different from Monica’s. Between Reggie’s attempts to stay relevant through online content and Max’s inexplicable appearance inBritney Spears’ iconic red catsuit from the “Oops!... I Did It Again” music video, the series has lots of fun with all the strange ways people chase attention these days. Best of all, the explanations are often even more ridiculous than the situations themselves.
Daniel Radcliffe on the Ridiculous ‘30 Rock’ Cameo He Wants in ‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’
The cast breaks down Episode 4 and shares what they learned from working so closely with Tracy Morgan.
What’s especially impressive is how consistently the jokes land in Season 2. The writing moves at a relentless pace without ever feeling exhausting or overdone. The humor also isn’t always dependent on something outrageous happening on screen or through a sight gag. Sometimes, acharacter’s reaction to something the audience never sees is also enough to deliver the biggest laughs, as seen in Episode 2’s “The Spaghetti Loop,” which finds Arthur watching playback of Monica battling a single noodle. Yes, you read that right. The show knows exactly how much to pile on with its absurdity and when to let a single moment (or in this case, expression) do the work.
‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ Has the Best Ensemble on TV
No doubt about it, but Morgan remains the heart of the series. Even with misguided observations that sound like perfectly reasonable advice, there’s somethinggenuinely endearing about a character this cluelesswho believes he’s in the right.Alexander is equally wonderful, bringing a sharp, no-nonsense energy to Monicathat makes her weariness over taking care of the family endlessly entertaining. Morgan’s on-screen fiancée Way gives Brina a fiery personality this season, showcasing more of her comedic chops, while Hall lends Carmelo a sincerity that makes his family’s behavior seem even more ridiculous.
Moynihan is another standout as Rusty, whose complete lack of ambition should make him an exhausting presence but somehow makes him one of the most lovable characters. There’s also achildlike innocence to his performancethat gives the series some of its sweetest moments, particularly as the second episode explores just how much he means to the family, and the lengths he would go to be taken seriously.
But among the hilarious ensemble,Radcliffe might be having the most fun. His Arthur has become an exaggerated portrait of theself-serious documentary filmmaker, someone who approaches even the smallest developments with the gravity of an Oscar-winning director. Radcliffe commits completely to his character’s artistic pretensions, whether through a stunned expression or his increasingly dramatic reactions to the Dinkins family. It’s a performance that could easily become a caricature, but Radcliffe knows exactly how to make it work.
With the cast so comfortably settled into their roles,The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkinsfeels more assured than ever and remains one of 2026’s funniest new shows. The affection and storylines between these characters give the comedy a genuine warmth without sacrificing any of its silliness.Reggie’s comeback might still be a work in progress, but the NBC sitcom certainly isn’t.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie DinkinsSeason 2 premieres at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
'The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins' feels more assured than ever and remains one of 2026’s funniest new shows.
