EPISODE
SEASON
Empire - Season 1
The first season of Empire is based on Lucious Lyon the undisputed CEO of Empire entertainment but his medical challenge throws up a need to find a new heir.
12 September 1981, Chicago, Illinois, USA
12 March 1991, Waukegan, Illinois, USA
9 August 1987, Belleville, Illinois, USA
11 September 1970, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
December 23, 2014
Musical melodrama explores family, fame, and homophobia.
January 07, 2015
Empire feels a little dated. It should be breaking new ground and asking new questions, but the pilot, at least, feels unoriginal.
January 07, 2015
With plot to spare, Empire surely has something for everyone.
September 13, 2016
One hopes that Daniels and writer Danny Strong, who teamed up on the 2013 civil rights film The Butler, can keep this good stuff coming even as they follow their over-the-top storyline to its sudsy conclusion.
January 07, 2015
The series' sudsy premise might work if it were matched by more energy in the acting and staging, but the presentation suggests we're supposed to take the action seriously. Most viewers will simply shrug.
January 07, 2015
Empire's première is a densely packed affair, dealing as it must with character introductions, background details and multiple-storyline establishment, but it handles the job in a smooth and entertaining fashion.
January 07, 2015
Tense and tawdry, Empire is the rare network drama to know exactly what it is from the jump.
January 07, 2015
Empire soars highest when probing the conflicts and contradictions of the black family, making high drama out of the dysfunction lying just beneath the surface.
January 07, 2015
It roars into view and keeps everything humming throughout its all-important first episode.
January 07, 2015
It is sort of hip-hop Nashville, but so what? Why not hip-hop Nashville?