The Last O.G.

Blunt and funny and heartwarming, a perfectly calibrated mix of bawdy silliness and sincere feeling. And Morgan is excellent on it, revealing range and nuance he’s not had the chance to show us before.

“A second chance is a beautiful thing.” So it goes with this sweeter, better batch of new half hours that are well-worth our time.

While it isn’t as culturally significant as, say, Mr. Peele’s “Get Out,” “The Last O.G.” is genuinely funny and transfers Mr. Morgan’s skills from co-star to lead far more successfully than his short-lived NBC 2003-04 sitcom, “The Tracy Morgan Show,” ever did.

Each of the six episodes available for review was balanced effectively between humor and honest emotion, with Morgan a more mature presence than you might expect.

Even when the show is disappointing, it somehow remains likable. It could be better; it isn't bad. As the story of an indomitable person coming back to a changed world, it has some of the attitude, and the sunniness, of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Lines may fall flat, but there is enough chemistry among the players — the stars, the guests and the regulars, notably including Allen Maldonado ("black-ish") as Tray's intensely cheerful young cousin Bobby--to keep The Last O.G decent, indecent company.

One moment, it seems eager to address the culture shock of a fish returned to changed waters; the next, it shies away from trafficking in the clichés that a critique of twenty-first-century Kings County may necessitate. Plots with the potential to flower into journeys instead wither into mere capers; intriguing possibilities open doors that are simply left ajar.

It's an interesting comedy, and one prepared to take a few big swings. It just isn't especially funny or consistent, and this isn't a "Oh, we're going for arty over humorous" FX or Amazon-style comedy. It wants to be broad and riotous without real success, only to find its value someplace more somber.