The Hacks panel left its onscreen dysfunction at the door and entered PaleyFest as if it was a happy family reunion following the show’s three Emmy wins last fall. The cast and showrunners of the Jean Smart–led comedy showed up ready to tease new cast additions to the show’s upcoming second season, which will come out sometime in May. Despite the characters’ strained relationships onscreen, they all shared cherished anecdotes in person (like the time the series co-creator and executive producer Lucia Aniello directed an episode remotely between labor contractions), and some cast members even held hands throughout the majority of the discussion. Notably absent from the stage was Smart’s co-star, Hannah Einbinder, who had to drop out at the last second. “Now I can talk about her frankly,†Smart quipped.
The previously confirmed recurring characters and guests were already lengthy, featuring the likes of Wayne Newton, Ming-Na Wen, Martha Kelly, Margaret Cho, and Laurie Metcalf, but the panelists sensed the kids’-table audience was still hungry. After wondering out loud if revealing unannounced guest spots was okay, series co-creator Paul W. Downs remembered, “We’re the ones on the stage. We can do anything.†He and the others told the crowd to keep an eye out for Curb Your Enthusiam’s Susie Essman and former heartthrob Devon Sawa in the coming eps.Â
Poppy Liu, who plays the friendly blackjack dealer Kiki, teased one more detail for all the Vulture Sports fans: An NBA player may be next to join the cast. “I have it in my contract that Kiki’s baby daddy is gonna be an NBA player,†she said. It didn’t really sound like a joke.