The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins

With jokes that come fast and stick hard (with some delightfully funny and memorable one-liners), it’s rare to see a sitcom that only gets better as it goes.

“Reggie Dinkins” uses quick cuts and cartoon-like tangents in a manner that will feel familiar/comfortable to “30 Rock” fans. The return of “Scrubs” and the debut of “Reggie” offer solid evidence that with the right talent involved, comedies still have a place on broadcast TV.

While it would be easy to write off “Reggie Dinkins” for trying to coast on audiences’ nostalgia for Morgan’s greatest role, it’s clearly trying to do more. The ensemble comes into its own along with the narrative, the jokes are as unexpected as they are gleeful, and even when some episodes feel out of place, there’s enough to enjoy that you’ll never regret watching.

Die-hard "30 Rock" fanatics — like me — will find a lot to love about the show right away.

“Reggie Dinkins” fits the star like a tailor-made suit, which it probably is. .... Although Morgan and Radcliffe are the marquee names, it’s an ensemble piece, in which everyone gets to be funny; there are no weak links.

Smart but silly, “Reggie Dinkins” shows great promise as an odd couple comedy for our times.

The Fall And Rise Of Reggie Dinkins is as reliably funny as any Fey/Carlock production, with smart writing and a great cast.

After a bit of rockiness in the early episodes, it’s a consistently funny show, one that could ultimately stand alongside Carlock’s previously acclaimed creations.

The real prize is getting to watch Morgan and the rest of the cast find their groove and work their way toward creating a show that, if it doesn’t quite fill 30 Rock’s shoes, at least seems capable of following in its footsteps.

The season ends in a satisfying enough place, providing plenty of room to keep Arthur’s documentary crew around for additional batches. Maybe with that extra time, this affectionate, funnier-than-average sitcom could become the best version of itself and ascend, if not to 30 Rock levels, then at least to Girls5eva ones.

It feels a bit truncated for what would have been, in decades past, at least a 13-episode midseason replacement. But with lovable characters you can mix and match, as well as plenty of material from the ridiculousness of the sports world (e.g., Reggie’s longtime rival appears on a panel show called “Sports Shouting”), it feels like there’s more than enough here to keep the show running as comforting sitcom that forges an identity separate from that of “30 Rock.”

Watching “Reggie Dinkins” cohere into an ensemble, you can feel the show swap out the trenchant questions about celebrity and storytelling raised by its pilot for the comforting consistency of a ragtag gang scrambling to stay afloat, but never at true risk of sinking. Should the show become a long-running concern, such points of emphasis will justify themselves.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins doesn’t start with full confidence in its overall voice or characters, settling to get most of its laughs from familiar cutaways and asides. As with shows including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Great News, Girls5eva and even the lesser Mr. Mayor, the improvement is swift and evident through the four episodes sent to critics.

Over 10 labored episodes (which I do not recommend saving up to watch as a binge), I felt my interest waning in Reggie’s delusional quest for renewed glory. .... But just as in 30 Rock, it’s the gags that keep us coming back. And Reggie is full of them.