‘EMPIRE’: Fox's ambitious, groundbreaking musical soap... Go big or go home

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“Go big or go home” could easily be the motto of Empire!



William Shakespeare. Sean “Puffy” Combs. Alexis Carrington. This pop culture threesome doesn’t usually come up in conversation—unless you’re talking to the creators of Fox’s new drama Empire. Writer Danny Strong began brainstorming a movie about a hip-hop mogul and his family. “The whole idea just flooded through my head: ‘I miss Dynasty and I would love to see a black Dynasty,’ ” Daniels recalls of the Joan Collins-led prime-time soap.

But Empire is more than just big hair, sequined gowns, and catfights—it’s one of the most ambitious new dramas of 2015. In the first episode, Lucious Lyon (Oscar nominee Terrence Howard), a rapper–turned–music mogul, is diagnosed with ALS and given three years to live. He must choose one of his three sons—hardworking Andre (Trai Byers), artistic Jamal (Jussie Smollett), or immature Hakeem (Bryshere Gray)—to take over the family business. But Lucious also has to deal with the return of his live-wire ex-wife, Cookie (Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson), who is getting out of prison after 17 years and wants half the company.
"this hip hop family drama is hamelessly soapy and fearless fun"


As with all the best soaps, it’s all about who will inherit the empire, in this case the powerhouse Empire Entertainment. Unlike a lot of similar shows, Empire is smart as well as entertaining and of course, as one would expect, has a great soundtrack.

The series is also an exploration of the music industry, which means it boasts posh locations, insider industry gossip, and more animal print than the San Diego Zoo. Plus, it addresses social issues such as drug abuse and homophobia. Oh, and did we mention it’s a musical? Sprinkled throughout each of the episodes are original songs produced by hitmaker Timbaland and performed by the show’s cast. This is no small endeavor—and it’s one that other networks have spectacularly failed at delivering.

Every kingdom needs rulers, and Fox execs knew that they’d need heavyweights to lead Empire to victory. But when they initially reached out to Henson, who was nominated for an Oscar for 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, she immediately said no. Henson had wrapped up two seasons of Person of Interest in 2013, and told her business team that she was done with TV. Then her manager passed along the script for Empire. “Cookie scares the hell outta me, which I like,” says the actress, 44. “I was like, ‘The NAACP is going to hate me! I won’t be vetted to come back to the White House!’ So that’s how I knew I had to do it!” In Henson’s hands, Cookie becomes a hot-blooded mother lion in Louboutins, sure to be the show’s most quoted character.


While Empire is a musical, it’s rooted in reality. You won’t see characters just bursting into song when the mood strikes, the way they do on Fox’s last musical hit, Glee. Instead, viewers should expect more organic performances. Columbia Records plans to release music from Empire each week on iTunes.

Empire is also set to tackle social issues. One major plotline this season centers on homophobia, particularly in the hip-hop community. Of the three sons, wildly talented middle child Jamal is gay. Lucious refuses to accept Jamal, while Cookie is determined to prove that an out gay black man can not only be a star but also run the empire. Daniels hopes that the story, loosely based on his own
childhood with a homophobic father, will get people talking about a subject that is often taboo in African-American culture. “I know the impact it’s going to have in the community,” he says. “But doing it is a very scary thing because it’s talking about things that personally happened to you.”

At its core, though, the show is a soapy family drama. “The central story is the competition amongst the brothers,” “Which one is going to emerge as the heir to the throne, and what’s going to happen to them along the way?” And at the same time, Cookie will attempt to build her own roster of artists, including one played by Courtney Love. “She used to be a huge, big star who made all this money for the label, and then she got into drugs and she fell off,” reveals Henson. “Cookie is going to try and revamp her career. [Love] is going to blow you away.”


It’s time for cinema to come to TV again! I gotta bring them down.” Alexis Carrington couldn’t have said it better.






EMPIRE airs Wednesday night  9/8c Watch on FOX

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