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 Empire is the story of a hip hop music/entertainment company, Empire Enterprises, and the battle within the Lyon family over its control. Created by Lee Daniels (The Butler) and Danny Strong (Jonathan from Buffy), the concept is based on similar tales like King Lear and The Lion in Winter. Timbaland was brought on to create original music for the show (now available on iTunes!), and the show was renewed for a second season after two episodes. I've been looking for a fun prime-time soap for years now and I'll probably watch Cookie kick rear end and take names until the end of the series. The plotting is decent, the music is excellent, and if they are going to randomly cast Gladys Knight to sing at a funeral then I have a feeling that the producers already know what they are doing. DRAMATIC PERSONAE Terrance Howard as Lucious Lyon  Patriarch. Rags to riches story. Ruthless. Murderer. Dying. Lucious used to sell drugs when he was younger but it was his love of music that kept him alive. Eventually he made it big as a rap artist and built Empire up from nothing. His current goal is to complete an IPO and secure his legacy before he succumbs to his recently diagnosed ALS. He's trying to find the right person to groom as the new CEO, likely one of his three children, before everything falls apart. Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon  Matriarch. Parolee. HBIC. Fabulous. Wants what is due. Cookie and Lucious worked together during the drug days to keep the business running smoothly and encouraged his dreams. She was eventually caught and sent to jail for 17 years for running drugs for Lucious, who used the money that she earned to start Empire. Now she's out and wants back in the company. She's proven to have a good ear for music, but no one at Empire wants to let her in. Trai Byers as Andre Lyon  Eldest Son. Business man. Power hungry. Kinky as hell. Wishes he was Francis Underwood. Not everyone in the family gets the artistic genes. Andre's is the one who went to business school and makes the deals for Empire. He knows that unless he makes sure that his younger brothers are unfit to take over the company in his father's eyes he'll never get the job, so he's willing to anything to get what he wants. He married his college sweetheart, Rhonda, who is a ruthless as he is. He's also bi-polar, which can get him into trouble if he's not careful. Jussie Smollett as Jamal Lyon  Middle child. Homosexual. Brilliant artist. Tired of asking for acceptance. Striking out on his own. Jamal being gay has never sat right with Lucious and has kept Jamal from getting the support he deserves from Empire. He's been proven to be a serious talent, especially when he collaborates with his younger brother, but he refuses to play Lucious's game. Cookie takes him on as her first client with the goal to make him a bigger star than his brothers, and after Lucious shuts him out one final time he vows to take Empire for himself. Bryshere Gray as Hakeem Lyon  Youngest child. Mother issues. Hot-headed. Great talent. Acts his age. Hakeem never really knew his mother as Cookie went to jail while he was a baby. He and his entourage enjoy everything that Empire has to offer, including Lucious's push to make him Empire's latest star. Everyone tries to pit him again Jamal despite the fact that they both love each other and work well together. He has started a relationship with another artist at the label and also has an older lover that he keeps hidden (and calls her "mother"  ).OTHER CHARACTERS Grace Gealey as Anika Calhoun Lucious's current wife. Boo-boo kitty. Not having any of this. Head of Artists and Repertoire at Empire. Kaitlin Doubleday as Rhonda Lyon Andre's wife. Just as ruthless. Claire Underwood. I think those two are perfect for each other. Malik Yoba as Vernon Turner Chairman of Empire. Has been with Lucious since the beginning. I expect he'll be sick of most of this at some point. We know the show isn't going anywhere, so sit back and enjoy. Pinwiz11 fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Jan 25, 2015 |
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Jan 23, 2015 04:21
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Just caught up. Cookie is everything. "The streets weren't made for everyone, that's why there's sidewalks"  Is no one else watching this?
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Jan 24, 2015 00:48
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Taraji P. Henson though.
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Jan 24, 2015 02:17
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This is so not a series TVIV is going to latch onto, but drat if my super gay soap opera loving self is not living for this show. Taraji P. Henson as Cookie is the successor to Alexis Carrington I've been wanting for years and years. Show's great. Can't wait for more of Cookie taking down Boo Boo Kitty. Also pleasantly surprised it keeps building on its audience numbers week after week. Bodes well for its future.
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Jan 25, 2015 18:54
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I loved the pilot, but the moment that Boo Boo Kitty walked out in her bra and panties to show up Cookie in the second episode I knew I was all in.
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Jan 25, 2015 19:56
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I've been binging watching Person of Interest a lot lately. "Detective Carter what are you doing! You and Reese are meant to be together!" I'm in for this show. And apparently so is the country, because this show is slaying it in the ratings and keeps climbing. This could be Fox's biggest hit in the last 20 years.
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Jan 29, 2015 06:12
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Yeah the ratings for this site are insane. I read somewhere that NBC is so called out they ordered that one of their new pilots scrap all their white characters and make them black. I'm praying for Queen Cookie, though. And does the giant age gap between Hawkeem & Naomi weird anyone else out? Maybe it's just cause he looks 17. I think Tiana is starting to grow on me. And gently caress BooBoo Kitty. She and that light skint devil deserve each other.
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Jan 29, 2015 06:23
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Koalas March posted:Yeah the ratings for this site are insane. I read somewhere that NBC is so called out they ordered that one of their new pilots scrap all their white characters and make them black. It's drawing a lot of comparisons to Glee, but if they keep the quality of the original music as good as its been it could go much higher. This is literally the first show in decades that has shown such a insane rise in viewers, especially in the key demo, and the viewer ratings for black audiences are even higher then the Superbowl ratings for that demo. pentyne fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Jan 29, 2015 |
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Jan 29, 2015 06:35
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I just hope this show doesn't constantly see-saw in quality from week-to-week. I haven't watched this week yet but if the pattern holds it's going to be mediocre-to-bad since last week was super great, just like the pilot.
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Jan 29, 2015 07:03
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Never mind why Hakeem have Tiana a key to his apartment, why does he have a bathtub in the living room?
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Jan 29, 2015 14:08
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Good show. I think it's doing what it set out to do very well. As with any soap opera, you have to give in to how over the top the characters are, but i find it thoroughly entertaining and look forward to seeing how this season shapes up. Also, why do you think the old manager is trying to stop the IPO? Im not sure if I missed it, but I'm not sure why he would care about he structure of Empire.
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Jan 29, 2015 19:05
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This show is ridiculously good, especially the family drama parts. Plus it has all the good actors. It's like Glee without a terrible storyline (yet) (Cookie is so boss) Also, I like how the evil son sold out to go to Wharton and married a white Lady Macbeth. Tezzeract fucked around with this message at 01:28 on Jan 30, 2015 |
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Jan 30, 2015 01:23
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The show wants to be the child of Dynasty so badly that sometimes the musical cues just openly tell you to root for the bad guy/gal
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Jan 31, 2015 03:24
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I agree with the previous posters, Cookie is the best. The show is really fun to watch, I'm curious how it develops in the next few episodes.
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Feb 4, 2015 15:52
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Andre's wife is now officially Evil Kelly Ripa to me now.
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Feb 5, 2015 03:27
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This show is pure soap and absolutely glorious. The Haqeem music is definitely the weak link but I feel like its almost deliberate to portray Jamal as the true talent.
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Feb 5, 2015 07:28
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The ratings went up AGAIN. 
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Feb 5, 2015 17:42
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Pinwiz11 posted:The ratings went up AGAIN. The other networks must be going into full panic mode and greenlighting every show with a diverse cast hoping to catch this bandwagon.
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Feb 5, 2015 21:07
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pentyne posted:This show is pure soap and absolutely glorious. The Haqeem music is definitely the weak link but I feel like its almost deliberate to portray Jamal as the true talent. It's definitely deliberate, they straight up say that he's just selling the whole rich rapper act whereas Jamal's music comes from the heart. The music video was massively over budget while Jamal's song was recorded in some ratty studio. All of this IS soapy as gently caress, but I am enjoying the hell out of it. Also I find it amusing that hardly any goons seem to watch this show.
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Feb 9, 2015 08:28
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Katana Gomai posted:It's definitely deliberate, they straight up say that he's just selling the whole rich rapper act whereas Jamal's music comes from the heart. The music video was massively over budget while Jamal's song was recorded in some ratty studio. Not enough white people on the show perhaps? The How to Get Away With Murder thread has also seen relatively little traffic.
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Feb 9, 2015 14:58
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Torrannor posted:Not enough white people on the show perhaps? The How to Get Away With Murder thread has also seen relatively little traffic. Or, you know, prime time soaps aren't usually high-traffic shows here. See also - Grey's Anatomy.
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Feb 9, 2015 16:45
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xeria posted:Or, you know, prime time soaps aren't usually high-traffic shows here. See also - Grey's Anatomy. Yeah, I assume it's the soap opera aspect. I'm all for it, but judging by reactions in the Revenge thread, many goons aren't into melodrama and camp.
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Feb 9, 2015 17:04
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And yet, Glee
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Feb 9, 2015 17:18
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How to get people into the show? Show the first few minutes of this week's episode. e: AND Courtney Love. AND Raven-Symonè. Pinwiz11 fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Feb 12, 2015 |
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Feb 12, 2015 03:09
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There was a rumor years ago that Raven and Jussie Smollett (Jamal) had a baby, so the show bringing her in for that particular role is pretty funny to me.
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Feb 12, 2015 04:30
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drat this show continues to top itself it. I love that Haqeem can absolutely slay it when he gets emotional so he's got the talent but he's been coddled and spoon-fed for so long it rarely comes out. I feel like Andre's role as the divider has faded a bit since him and his wife were originally shown as the Macbeth couple. Plus I expected his bipolar condition to come into play sooner or later. pentyne fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Feb 12, 2015 |
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Feb 12, 2015 06:03
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I'm pretty comfortable saying goons dont watch cause racism. The first page of The Knick thread was literally "Why is there a black character? I'm very uncomfortable." In fact I can't think of a single black character praised by TVIV. But then again outside of this and The Good Wife thread I checked out of TVIV while ago when they started making GBS threads on Iris West before the drat show even aired.
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Feb 12, 2015 06:49
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Koalas March posted:I'm pretty comfortable saying goons dont watch cause racism. The first page of The Knick thread was literally "Why is there a black character? I'm very uncomfortable." Benjamin Sisko.
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Feb 12, 2015 11:25
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The Ratings went up. AGAIN. 
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Feb 12, 2015 18:46
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I have very little to say about this show except "I love Cookie." And "I wish the rest of this show were as good as Cookie."
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Feb 12, 2015 18:57
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I keep think Big Sean does Hakeem's rapping
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Feb 12, 2015 19:21
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Pinwiz11 posted:The Ratings went up. AGAIN. This may as well be the thread title going forward
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Feb 12, 2015 21:45
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Pinwiz11 posted:The Ratings went up. AGAIN. quote:In updated national estimates from Nielsen, Fox’s “Empire” was revised upward to a 4.8 rating/15 share in adults 18-49 and 11.96 million viewers overall — gains of 4% in both 18-49 (from 4.6) and total viewers (from 11.47 million). The show is now so big that even at half this demo level (2.4), it out-rates 18 of the 19 other dramas to have aired so far this week on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. This is nuts.
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Feb 13, 2015 00:47
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I can't wrap my head around the second figure in Neilsen ratings: quote:For example, Nielsen may report a show as receiving a 9.2/15 during its broadcast; meaning that out of all television-equipped households 9.2 percent were tuned in to that program, and out of all television-equipped households with a television currently in use 15 percent were tuned in to that program. Either way rock on Empire. How's that compared to other big shows? Pierson fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Feb 13, 2015 |
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Feb 13, 2015 01:14
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Pinwiz11 posted:The Ratings went up. AGAIN.  Got a chance to see yesterday's episode. Man this series is so good.
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Feb 13, 2015 01:22
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Pierson posted:Either way rock on Empire. How's that compared to other big shows? Less than Walking Dead, more than Scandal and NCIS, competitive with Big Bang Theory. Actually after being adjusted up in the finals it's beating BBT in the demo and as such is now the highest-rated show on any broadcast network. Hot drat.
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Feb 13, 2015 08:38
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SHUPS 4 DETH posted:Less than Walking Dead, more than Scandal and NCIS, competitive with Big Bang Theory. Actually after being adjusted up in the finals it's beating BBT in the demo and as such is now the highest-rated show on any broadcast network. Hot drat. It's great because some critics are losing their minds yelling "THIS IS JUST SOAP OPERA TRASH AND NOT WORTH WATCHING" and others are praising it for being genuinely entertaining. It's breaking decades old viewing records and completely redefining network drama and the other networks and freaking out and scrambling trying to mimic its success.
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Feb 15, 2015 12:12
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pentyne posted:It's great because some critics are losing their minds yelling "THIS IS JUST SOAP OPERA TRASH AND NOT WORTH WATCHING" and others are praising it for being genuinely entertaining. It's breaking decades old viewing records and completely redefining network drama and the other networks and freaking out and scrambling trying to mimic its success. Critically I think it's inconsistent at best and deserves those barbs at worst, but the craziest thing to me is that it's a mid-season debut airing in the dead of winter and it's this massive phenomenon. Even a ratings geek like me can't recall a show blowing up like this in the same part of the year, and any riding of coattails by the other nets is going to be rightfully dismissed. Fox is uniquely equipped to launch a show like this thanks to Glee and Idol and they made the baller move of locking down Oscar-grade talent. It's really a sight to behold amongst the dismal returns of basically everything else. If there was a ratings thread this season it'd be the only thing we'd be talking about (besides the myriad failures echoing last year through and through).
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Feb 15, 2015 12:57
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I'm torn. I feel sorry for Anika because she never stood a chance again Hurricane Cookie, but I can't excuse her dosing Courtney Love... Other thoughts: - It was the little things that slayed me. Jamal's ex having a giant box labeled "Underwear" in the back of his car as he left. The TVs on the heads of the backup dancers. The Hakeem necklace. The extras at the IPO performance. - Poor Andre. Poor Evil Kelly Ripa. - I keep trying to see where they film scenes here in Chicago. I should just google it. e: 5.1. FIVE POINT loving ONE!!!!! Pinwiz11 fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Feb 19, 2015 |
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Feb 19, 2015 04:10
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Pinwiz11 posted:e: 5.1. FIVE POINT loving ONE!!!!!  Absolutely unbelievable.
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Feb 19, 2015 19:25
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