‘Great News’ Season 2: Why Did Tina Fey Join The Show’s Cast?

Tina Fey has revealed the reason she joined the cast of NBC’s “Great News.”

In an interview with TV Insider, Fey admitted that she misses doing a TV series, so when a new role for Season 2 came up, the two-time Golden Globe winner offered to play the new character herself.

“I hadn’t done any series TV in a while, and I know so many people [on the show] that I figured it’d be fun,” Fey said. “I know some of the writing staff, I know the assistant director, the director and Horatio Sanz [who plays video editor Justin], who was on ‘SNL’ with me. It’s like old home week.”

As expected, Fey is a welcome addition to the cast. “All of us, we can’t wait to have Tina on the show,” Briga Heelan, who plays Katie Wendelson on the newsroom comedy, told Entertainment Weekly. “I know Katie sort of idolizes [Fey’s] character. [So] it’s going to be really easy to step into those scenes because Tina Fey has been somebody that I’ve looked up to for the whole time I’ve being doing this.”

Fey made her first appearance as Diana St. Tropez in Season 2, episode 1. As seen in the season premiere, Diana is the new boss at MMN who aims to bring the network’s news program “The Breakdown” into the 21st century. “When she first gets there she thinks it’s kind of behind-the-times, but by the time she leaves later in the season, she’s very impressed with the staff as a group of human beings and how they relate to each other,” said Fey of her character, who is also set to appear in the next two episodes.

“Great News” creator Katie Wigfield, who worked with Fey on “30 Rock,” was overjoyed to have the latter on the set of the series. “It was such a thrill to have her come into our world and see her in scenes,” Wigfield told Variety. “I did feel when I was on set, it’s like when your teacher comes. Being a little more on high alert like, ‘Yes, everything’s under control. This is the very good way in which the show always runs. Everything’s smooth and nothing’s on fire.’ She has been a wonderful mentor to me for the past 10 years and as much as we are both executive producers on this show, there’s very much a part of me that wants her to know I’m doing a good job.”

What do you think of Fey’s Diana so far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

“Great News” airs every Thursday at 9:30 p.m. EDT on NBC.