Tracy Morgan thanks God, and Tiffany Haddish reflects on her success at ‘Last O.G.’ panel at TCA

“Thank God.�

That’s what Tracy Morgan had to say about what it means for the “30 Rock� and “Saturday Night Live� alum to be returning to TV three years after the devastating accident that put him in a coma and resulted in the death of his friend James “Jimmy Mack� McNair.

The stand-up comic and actor, whose new TBS comedy, “The Last O.G.� premieres Oct. 24, was full of gratitude and thoughts on starting over during the presentation for the show at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour Thursday in Beverly Hills.

Executive produced by Morgan, Jordan Peele and John Carcieri, “The Last O.G.� chronicles the adventures of Tray (Morgan). Newly sprung from prison after serving 15 years, he has to acclimate to the changed times, his gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood and his former girlfriend (Tiffany Haddish of “Girls Trip�) raising the children he didn’t know existed with another man.

“This is a show about humanity, this is a show about second chances, this is a show about redemption,� said Morgan, answering a question about whether it would explicitly explore African American issues. “I wanted to transcend that... I wanted to deal with humanity.�

Haddish, naturally, fielded several questions about “Girls Trip,� the new comedy film that has minted her as a star.

“I feel like a foster kid who’s been in the system for a long time and then turned 16 and somebody adopted them and said, ‘You can go to college and you ain’t got to pay no school loans or nothing,’ � she said of how she’s been feeling in the wake of the film’s superb box office. “I’m happy! I’ve been accepted finally after all these years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears.�

Haddish said she was looking forward to her role in “The Last O.G.� since it’s a character who has gone through a transition in her life, just as she herself has.

Her fellow cast mates, including Cedric the Entertainer, good-naturedly ribbed her about becoming a diva since she’s now a movie star. But Morgan noted seriously that Haddish has been nothing but a pro: “She comes to work.�

Haddish joked: “My bank account, it don’t show movie star yet. I’m waiting on it. They say nine months; it’s like a baby. I’m waiting for the delivery.�

Morgan said it was important to surround himself with scene stealers such as Haddish and Cedric and was clearly earnest in his appreciation of his collaborators and their sensitivity to his physical needs.

“They make sure I sit down... they don’t ask me, they [say] sit down for a little while. So I’m good. I’m taken care of by my people, and I love them with my heart.�