Sometimes we need to block out the world, sit down as a family and watch a TV show that brings us joy and laughter.
Don't believe me? Just ask Tracy Morgan, both a producer and star of NBC's critically acclaimed "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins," which is returning for a second season on Monday, Nov. 2 (8:30 p.m. ET/PT).
"At the end of the day, we just wanted everybody in the household to put their phones down and watch TV together like we used to," Morgan tells USA TODAY. "Get together and just laugh."
Morgan's "Dinkins" is one of a handful of comedies on NBC this season that are going for that simple, old-school sitcom feeling to give viewers escape, relaxation and joy amid a world full of conflict and uncertainty. "Dinkins" is joined by
workplace sitcom "St. Denis Medical," back for Season 3 on Mondays (8 p.m. ET/PT).
Fridays will also be laugh-packed with new multi-camera sitcom "Newlyweds" (Oct. 23, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT) starring real-life married couple Tèa Leoni and Tim Daly, as well as "Happy's Place," also starting its third season (Oct. 23, 8 p.m. ET/PT). "Sunset P.I." from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" creator Dan Goor is expected in early 2027.
NBC has "always been a home for us. I love being on NBC," says Morgan, a veteran of Emmy-winning NBC comedy "30 Rock" as well as "Saturday Night Live." "They take care of us and they still believe in comedy."
Why NBC wants to make you laugh this fall
Lisa Katz, president of scripted content for NBC and Peacock, says the network deliberately bet on comedy for their strategy for the fall 2026 TV season, which coincides with NBC's 100th anniversary.
"Comedy is such a part of NBC's legacy," she says. "Coming up on our 100th year, I think it's one of NBC's superpowers. We have late night. We have '30 Rock' or 'The Office' or 'The Good Place' or 'Parks and Recreation' or 'Superstore.'
"It would be foolish for us not to lean into [comedy] and create what we think can be the next big hits," Katz adds. "When they're celebrating NBC 150, they can look back at these."
NBC's slate is unique with five comedies for fall and soon after ("Sunset P.I." debuts in February); other networks are putting their weight behind reality TV (such as Fox) or doubling down on crime procedurals (CBS's "NCIS" universe). Streamers like Netflix, HBO Max and Apple TV have some comedies peppered into their schedules, but the biggest talkers of the fall have tended towards the dark and macabre, such as Ryan Murphy's "Monster: Lizzie Borden."
Katz wants to offer counter programming. "Life's hard," she says. "To be able to go somewhere and spend some time with characters that you love and laugh a lot is a gift."
"Comedies are so important now," says Reba McEntire, star and producer of "Happy's," about a neighborhood bar owned by her character, Bobbie, and a surprise half-sister she discovers. "We need a little relief from everyday grind, everyday problems, stress, anxiety. Anxiety and stress are horrible; they're not good for us at all.
"To watch a 30-minute sitcom, that will give you a sense of release," she says.
Bringing back the multi-camera sitcom style
Katz and her fellow executives have delved into NBC's roster of proven talent for their current slate of shows, including Goor for "Sunset," as well "Superstore" creator Justin Spitzer for "St. Denis." Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, the masterminds behind "30 Rock," developed "Dinkins" with Morgan, a completely unique show that marries Morgan's chaotic brand of comedy with the goofy side of Daniel Radcliffe. Jamie Lee Curtis is on board as co-creator and producer of "Newlyweds" and has a recurring role on the series.
"Happy's" and "Newlyweds" are both "multi-camera sitcoms," an industry term that means they're filmed in the style of "Friends" or "Cheers" with audible audience laughter and mostly static sets. This format is often considered old-school compared to the "single camera" comedies like "Ted Lasso" on Apple, or "Nobody Wants This" on Netflix.
But it's the perfect fit for "Newlyweds," in which real-life partners Leoni and Daly get to lean into their marriage both on and offscreen: They play two 60-somethings who meet and impulsively decide to get married, skipping the "young people's game" of dating.
"This show was born actually in 2019 when I heard a limousine driver say the words, 'But my new wife...'" producer Curtis says. "And the minute he said, 'My new wife,' I was like, oh, that's a sitcom. People in their 60s and 70s hooking up and getting married on a whim, and then seeing what happens."
It's goofy and silly and perfect for the heightened world of multi-camera sitcoms. There are bumbling houseguests, cynical teenagers and a cheesy Vegas wedding. Daly sees all these happy, sometimes corny, antics as a great counterweight to our current society.
"The nasty side effects of the modern world − all our cellphones and social media − is that we get farther and farther away from our instincts as human beings," he says.
"[Tim and I] wanted to work together again, but we wanted to do a comedy, and specifically a sitcom," Leoni says. She and Daly met while co-starring in the political drama "Madame Secretary."
She sees "Newlyweds" both as a place for laughs and as something aspirational. The show's main theme is, essentially, YOLO (you only live once). "I want to inspire people in their 20s. Go for it. What are you afraid of?"
Broadcast vs. streaming: It matters to be on network TV every week
Both Morgan and Carlock credit NBC's willingness to try new things for the success of "Dinkins." And in the age of streaming comedies that have long run-times, short episode counts and long breaks between seasons, both are happy to be working in traditional network TV.
"I love being on network and writing to commercial breaks and having a fall premiere and everything. It just feels right," Carlock says.
The "Dinkins" Season 2 premiere is able to name-check a host of recent headlines in a way only network shows with quick timelines can. "We do like doing that," says Carlock. "And we do have a little more ability − not a 'South Park' level ability − but a little more ability with the speed that we are turning things around to feel like we can be in the real world a bit."
Though the show doesn't always directly reference modern events, Carlock believes it is deeply relevant to 2026.
"It's not a political show on any level, but very much about finding unexpected connections with people who are different from you. And that I'm very proud [of that]," he says.
For comedy fans who want to binge-watch, Katz is confident that these new shows will be able to fill that niche, too.
"We have the NBC comedies on linear, but the next day on Peacock," says Katz. "[On] broadcast we can do 18 episodes this season or potentially more. And by doing that, I think you can build the libraries faster and ultimately have these assets where people can go and watch dozens and dozens of episodes at a time."
Katz, as well as producers like Carlock, Morgan and McEntire, believe in the power of comedy at this current cultural moment.
"It's a hopeful show," Carlock says of "Dinkins." "Joy and friendship [are] two of the big themes. ... It's really sweet. And of course, also a little weird."
"I don't understand why there's not more [comedies] because [they're] cheaper to make," jokes McEntire. But she's serious about our collective need to laugh.
"The atmosphere is wonderful and joyful. Why wouldn't you wanna come to a place like this?"
Contributing: Bryan Alexander, Erin Jensen, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBC thinks comedy is its 'superpower.' Inside their big bet for fall TV | Exclusive
