Empire – Season 1 – Review

Sometimes you hear about these very popular shows and if you hear about them just enough, you might be interested in checking it out just to see what all the fuss is sabout. Just before the second season of Scandal started I decided to check out the first season.

The series revolves around Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) and his media company, Empire Entertainment. Once he started the company together with his ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) he has managed to make it a big success. Besides music Empire has clothing and liquor and also manages several athletes. The next step Lucious wants to take is to bring Empire to the stock market, to make his brand immortal. He’s on top of his game until he unexpectedly hears that he has ALS, which can’t be cured. It also threathens the IPO and continuity of the business. He decides to bring his three sons together to inform them that he will choose one of them to succeed him. Andre (Trai Byers), Jamal (Jussie Smollett) and Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) each have their strengths and weaknesses, but all want to be the new boss of Empire.

Empire was a big hit in America and it’s understandable why: The series looks great, with impressive sets, actors and actresses who walk around in beautiful clothes and a large list cameos of famous artists/people (including Naomi Campbell, Estelle , Gladys Knight, Snoop and Anthony Hamilton) and a focus on music. Almost every episode has two or three new songs (which, in its entirety can be found as extras on the DVD / Blu Ray) and you often see how those songs come together during the episode. Sometimes it’s purely in the studio, but often because certain characters struggle with their feelings and express it in their music.

For instance Jamal struggles with the announcement of his sexuality to the general public. His father Lucious does not accept him for who he is, because he sees it as a threat to Empire. He believes that homosexuality is not accepted within hip hop and R&B. Lucious’s eldest son Andre, with his business administration studiesm, seems like the most logical choice as successor, but he is scheming behind his father’s to ensure that his brothers are less likely to succeed.

And then there is Cookie, for many the most entertaining character in the show. The ex-wife of Lucious is just released from prison, where she has served time (seventeen years). She was responsible for the success of Lucious and now that she sees that he has earned millions she wants a piece of the pie. Taraji P. Henson plays a great character who never minces words, has an ear for talent and music and is willing to do anything to get what she wants. She brings an amazing amount of energy to the screen.

 The series has momentum and that often is at the expense of story development. Some storylines are resolved extremely fast, making a lot of them predictable. Subtlety isn’t present in Empire’s dictionary, but because the show has so much energy and the music is good there’s not a moment you’ll be bored. It knows how to entertain and that is clearly the goal of the show. This is the ultimate soap opera about music and although I generally don’t watch soap operas, I’m really enjoyed this one.