1 of 2 | Erika Alexander and Tracy Morgan star in “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins,” premiering Tuesday. Photo courtesy of NBC
NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (UPI) — Living Single actress Erika Alexander and Saturday Night Live alum Bobby Moynihan say their characters Monica and Rusty still prioritize Tracy Morgan’s titular washed-up football player over themselves in the new comedy, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.
Created by Robert Carlock and Sam Means, the series airs Tuesdays on NBC and Wednesdays on Peacock. A sneak peek of the pilot episode was released last month.
In the show, Reggie was forced to leave the NFL due to a gambling scandal and is now trying to reclaim his glory days by having failed filmmaker Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe) make a documentary about him.
Monica is Reggie’s manager and ex-wife, while Rusty is Reggie’s former teammate and constant companion.
“He was a star football player who bet on himself and got caught and is looking for redemption and everyone is looking for a comeback in some way,” Alexander, 56, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
“I’m his ex-wife and his agent and manager, who still believes in tomorrow. So, that’s what she is and she’s looking for, not only redemption, but also she’s kind of tied her wagon to him and, so, she’s still in his life, very much so.”
“I’m hanging on to the wagon, as well,” Moynihan, 49, joked. “I was the kicker on the football team with him and now I live in his basement and I’m very happy about it and I am freeloading on the whole family and I love them all.”
Reggie’s idea to star in a documentary is met with mixed reactions from his loved ones.
“Rusty’ll do whatever Reggie says,” Moynihan said. “Rusty doesn’t care if there’s a camera in the house or not in the house. He’s going to do whatever he wants, no matter what. I think he just wants everyone to be happy and healthy.”
Alexander said Monica hates this idea.
“She’s like, ‘This is the worst thing that can ever happen to our family or to the world,’ and, so, she, a control freak, is going to try to manage a project with unmanageable people,” she added. “And, so, you know, good luck. I’m sure she’ll be an insane asylum in Season 2.”
Moynihan thinks the show is an accurate depiction of how something intended to be flattering to its subject might open one up to ridicule.
“Daniel’s character, too. Daniel Radcliffe plays a disgraced director who is kind of forced to make this documentary and doesn’t know at first who’s helping who or if anyone is helping anyone,” Moynihan said. “It’s a lot of people who need each other and don’t know it.”
Alexander added: “Celebrities do make that a calculation that, in their documentaries, they’re going to come off exactly the way they want. The problem is that the camera sees everything.”
The stars said they were happy to work with Harry Potter icon Radcliffe and 30 Rock vet Morgan, who brought their distinctly different comic chops to the series.
“Tracy feels like a beating heart of comedy that’s been around forever,” Moynihan said.
“It’s rude how funny Daniel is. It is not cool that Daniel Radcliffe is the funniest one on the show,” he chuckled. “You forget that he’s a [Broadway] song and dance man and it’s in his body. He’s just a physical performer. He’s fantastic.”
Alexander said: “He’s one of the most famous people in the world ever and just happens to be one of the kindest. Both [he and Morgan], by the way, are all heart, sweethearts, and it’s really a pleasure to come to work.”
