“The drinks are free. It gets weird at the NBC luncheons,” The Four Seasons star Kerri Kenney-Silver joked at NBCUniversal’s 5th annual Emmy Kick-off Luncheon on Wednesday at Avra Beverly Hills, where stars from shows like All Her Fault, The Four Seasons, Hacks, Law & Order SVU, The Paper, SNL, Traitors, and The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins mixed and mingled while promoting their series and launching awards campaigning.
Kenney-Silver was joined by her cast mates Marco Calvani, Will Forte, and Erika Henningsen, as well as showrunners Tracey Wigfield and Lang Fisher, where they revealed to Gold Derby a few hints of what’s to come in the second season.
When it comes to Kenney-Silver’s character, Wigfield shared there will be some romance. “Anne, I think in Season 1 had a really rough go of it, and in Season 2, she gets out there a little bit, and she has a love interest and just gets to do things other than being left at the altar and having a man leave her.” Added Kenney-Silver, “There might be some kissing.” While Forte said the second season is more action-packed including his character preparing to run a marathon. “I did a stunt and I have a lot of activity. There’s a lot of running related stuff,” he noted.
As for which cast member they are rooting for to get an Emmy nomination, Fisher says she would love to see series co-creator, writer, executive producer, and star Tina Fey get recognized. “I always am rooting for Tina because she’s such a hard worker and because she is the heart and grounds the show,” Fisher declared. “She is the voice of reason, which I think sometimes seems like an easy thing to play, but it’s really not. But I would love to see anybody on our show get a nomination.”
In between eating Greek food such as spanakopita and traditional crispy zucchini and eggplant chips with tzatziki, the group — which also included Tracy Morgan for The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, Law & Order SVU’s Mariska Hargitay, and Dakota Fanning for All Her Fault — gathered for a group photo.
Pearlena Igbokwe, NBC Television Studios chair, toasted the network’s 100th anniversary, saying it’s been “a century of story-telling, risk-taking, and reinvention.”
Hacks Emmy-winning star Hannah Einbinder said that for the show’s fifth and final season, she hopes Kaitlin Olsen gets recognized for an Emmy. “She’s incredible and has contributed so much to comedy and I’d like to see it recognized by the voting body because she deserves it.” While Hacks co-creator and star Paul Downs gave a shout-out to his hilarious cohort on the show, Megan Salter, whom he hopes to see get a nod: “Obviously nothing with her scene partner, but is so special she deserves to be recognized.”
Speaking about her leading co-star on The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, Erika Alexander told us, “Tracy Morgan deserves an Emmy nomination. He’s come back from the dead. He’s literally re-made himself like a Frankenstein monster of comedy.” She continued, “He’s so generous and kind. He’s still in it, and he managed to bring in the best of the best to do something like this. … His career is a steady ride, and it’s because he is the boy who lived.”
Michael Peña is praying that Emmy voters will give some love to Orlando Ivanovic, his young co-star in Peacock’s All Her Fault. Ivanovic plays Peña’s 13-year-old son who has a developmental disability and is nonverbal. “It was his first acting gig and he did phenomenal,” Peña proclaimed. “Every time he showed up on set, he warmed everyone’s heart. … He was the star of the show every time he walked in, with a heart of gold.”
Haley Lu Richardson, a breakout star of The White Lotus Season 2 who now appears on Ponies with Emilia Clarke, has major aspirations for this year’s ceremony. “I think we should all win Emmys,” she joked. “The only Emmys given out that night should go to us — the whole show!” She continued, “Twila is my favorite character I’ve ever played, and David Iserson made her, so I’m very thankful for his brain and his heart.”
Finally, legendary actor David Alan Grier told Gold Derby that he believes the Emmys should create an “ensemble award” so that the entire cast of St. Denis Medical can win. But until they do, he’s rooting for Wendi McLendon-Covey to receive an individual Emmy bid: “I think she’s awesome and I just love her!”
The 2026 Emmys nominations will be announced July 8.
