Tracy Morgan and the ‘Reggie Dinkins’ Team on What It Takes to Make a Joke-Heavy Sitcom That Still Hits Home

“We are pathological about putting jokes on every page, on every eighth of a page, but at the same time, that always has to be grounded in the story and has to be grounded in the truth of the characters — and having performers who can pull off that feat is the secret sauce.”

That’s Sam Means, co-creator of “The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins,” speaking to IndieWire about balancing a steady stream of humor with characters an audience can connect with. Means joined fellow co-creator and executive producer Robert Carlock, star Tracy Morgan, casting director Code Beke, and costume designer DyShaun Burton to discuss how the NBC sitcom manages to be so funny, so often without cutting big moments short.

“That’s probably the thing we talk about most in the room, once we know what we want to do story-wise, scene-wise,” Carlock said. “And what we really do to accomplish that is have actors like Dan [Radcliffe] and Tracy [Morgan] who can do that; who, in one speech, can fill it with pathos […] and also hit the jokes without skipping a beat. It’s really hard.” 

To no one’s surprise, the writers credit the actors, and the actors credit the writers.

“They know my voice,” Morgan said. “They’ve been working with me since ‘Saturday Night Live.’ They know my voice, and I know when I’ve gotta bring it. I just thank them for believing in me still. Period. Rob and Sam and Tina [Fey], they know how to write for me, and that’s one of the most precious things I have in my life, besides my kids: It’s my sense of humor. […] They know how to use me, they know how to use my sense of humor. And I love it.”

“The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” follows Reggie, a former NFL running back, decades after he was forced out of the league for gambling on sports. Now, he’s determined to reclaim his reputation and secure his legacy by making it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So he hires Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe), an award-winning documentarian (who’s had a bad run of late, professionally and personally), to make a documentary about his life.

In the video above, you’ll see a clip from Episode 3, “Put It on Your Cabbage!,” that illustrates the parallels in Reggie and Arthur’s lives, as well as just how many jokes the show packs into every minute. The dialogue, the expressions, the props, the costumes, the editing — so many elements come together to make the scene work, and the assembled team breaks down how they do it in the subsequent interview.

“The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. It is available on NBC and Peacock.

IndieWire partnered with Universal Studio Group for USG University, a series of panels celebrating the outstanding artistry and artisans behind the 2025–2026 television season across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of shows. USG University, a Universal Studio Group program, is presented in partnership with the Motion Picture & Television Fund.