'Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins' review: Tracy Morgan's comedy is just OK

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Former Jets running back, and now getting-on-in-years (and girth) Reggie Dinkins (Tracy Morgan) was drummed out of the NFL long ago for betting (only on himself, he says in self-defense). But he now wants to rehab his image, or at least his ex-wife and manager, Monica Reese-Dinkins (Erika Alexander), does. Reggie mostly wants a shot at getting into the Hall of Fame, although a former nemesis (Craig Robinson, "The Office") is determined to keep him out. An Oscar-winning director — Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe) who has baggage of his own — is hired to make a film about Reggie's home life. That's complicated by the fact that Reggie lives with his (very) young girlfriend and influencer, Brina (Precious Way), his teen son, Carmelo (Jalyn Hall,) and another washed-up player, Rusty Boyd (Bobby Moynihan), who was the Jets' kicker (and a failed one at that).

This 10-parter comes from Robert Carlock ("30 Rock") and Sam Means ("Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt").

MY SAY We all know we're getting old when we come up on something like "Reggie Dinkins." Moynihan has finally become the drunk uncle he played on "SNL." Morgan looks like the character he's supposed to be playing. Radcliffe's no longer the cute kid proclaiming "expecto patronum!" but just another famous actor between gigs, most of them on Broadway.

Oh Father Time, how cruel thou art.

Or, legacy network sitcoms, how cruel thou art?

Not that "Reggie Dinkins" is bad — it's not really — but just a sharp reminder of television's past, back to when "30 Rock" (2006) and "Modern Family" (2009) were shredding the age-old idea of what TV comedy could do, with dazzling wordplay and performers like Morgan who were up to the task. "Reggie Dinkins'" moment really was about 10 years ago, when the mockumentary still hadn't worn out its welcome and "Abbott Elementary" (2021) was off in the future.

Instead, circa 2026, the remaining viewers of legacy network shows have drifted off to other genres (mostly unscripted) and franchises with big, hyper-productive names attached (Taylor Sheridan). "Reggie" is a TV orphan — not quite of this moment, and not quite part of this new, severely diminished television landscape either.

There are at least some funny ideas here. To push the limits of the mockumentary, "Reggie Dinkins" is actually a mockumentary-within-a-mockumentary because Tobin is filming himself filming Dinkins. The "why" isn't important or even necessarily made clear. You are however entangled with a vertiginous joke (within a joke) that never quite arrives at a punchline but does make a valid point about how excessive this TV gimmick has become. Tobin eventually realizes that the film he's making is really more about himself than Reggie but — after he takes himself out of the shot by hiding behind potted trees — goes back to making the film he really wants to make. (The point, or rule, with any mockumentary is to never dwell too long on logic, because there is none.)

As a disgraced washed-up football player, Morgan is exactly who you'd expect him to be in a role like this too --- the blustering has-been full of bravado, who's stripped of any self-awareness, or ambition, but knows exactly where to find the TV remote. He's afraid to venture outside his Alpine, New Jersey, mansion because vengeful Jets fans lurk, waiting to pounce on him (not a bad running joke either). "Reggie," meanwhile, has a few sharp, amusing extended cameos from actors (Robinson, Heidi Gardner, Ronny Chieng, Corbin Bernsen) who know how to score.

So what's missing then? A consistently sharp, amusing show.

BOTTOM LINE Wish the news were better here, but "Reggie Dinkins" is just OK.