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There is now a 30 Rock Cinematic Universe, as Tracy Morgan's new NBC series is confirmed to be more than just jokes
Will The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins and 30 Rock characters team up to defeat a cross-series Big Bad? God, no. But they could, is the point
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The idea of a 30 Rick Cinematic Universe sounds like, well, a gag from 30 Rock. And yet, similar to certain unnamed reality TV shows, that doesn't mean it's not very real. In fact, the creators of the new Tracy Morgan-starring comedy The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins just confirmed that the two series were, indeed, linked, and not just as a gag.
Those creators would be Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, both of whom also co-created SNL-adjacent workplace comedy 30 Rock. In case you don't know, The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins stars Tracy Morgan as a disgraced NFL star trying to get his career back on track with the help of a documentary filmmaker (Daniel Radcliffe). But according to comedy legend Fey, Morgan's starring role isn't the only thing the show has in common with 30 Rock.
"It'll be a real test for the people of TikTok," Fey said in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, "To see if they, 1.) find the show on broadcast, and 2.) if they can find the 30 Rock Easter eggs, [...] In that 30 Rock way, there are things threaded through the entire season so there's a lot of rewards for paying attention. This is like the Severance of comedy."
First of all, "the Severance of comedy" is one hell of a claim to make, but hey, if anyone can make it, it's Tina Fey. Obviously, Fey didn't want to spoil what those 30 Rock connections were just yet, although Carlock did pull back the curtain just a bit to reveal one of them:
"We just had a scene where they were pouring Donaghy Estates champagne," the series co-creator said, referencing the canonically undrinkable liquor brand that 30 Rock main character Jack Donaughey (Alec Baldwin) tries to sell.
But here's what you really should be taking out of all of this - according to the showrunners, little Easter Eggs between shows aren't all that the creators have envisioned. Fey admitted that there was very much a future in which Morgan's 30 Rock character, Tracy Jordan, could play his suspiciously look-alike ex-NFL star.
"I hope this show runs long enough that we get to that episode and Tracy's playing two parts," said Fey, "But if I know Robert [Carlock] and Sam [Means, fellow 30 Rock and Reggie Dinkins co-creator], that would be episode 2 of season 2."
"That's how Tracy Jordan wins his second Oscar," Means himself said at a different point, which could very well be just a gag.
But you know what happens to 30 Rock gags.
The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins comes to NBC on February 23, 2026. 30 Rock is streaming on Peacock now.
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