- Date: January 2015
- Type: Television Series
This Television Series is referred to by Simprovised part of The Simpsons Season 27
Homer says that the cast of Empire would be live on Wednesday night, and that someone should let them know.
Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is the king of hip-hop. An immensely talented artist, the CEO of Empire Entertainment and a former street thug, his reign has been unchallenged for years. But all that changes, when he learns he has a disease that is going to render him crippled and incapacitated in a matter of three years. The clock is ticking, and he must groom one of his three sons to takeover his crowning achievement, without destroying his already fractured family. Lucious' favorite is his youngest son, Hakeem (Bryshere Gray), a gifted musician and a spoiled playboy who values fame over hardwork. The middle son, Jamal (Jussie Smollett), is a sensitive soul and musical prodigy who, unlike Hakeem, shies away from the spotlight. Jamal also happens to be gay, which infuriates and embarasses his father. Andre (Trai Byers), the eldest son, is CFO of Empire Entertainment. Wharton-educated with a brilliant business mind, Andre lacks the charisma that Lucious believes is crucial to running the company. But in this quest for power, Andre is assisted by his manipulative and like-minded wife, Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday). As Lucious prompts his sons to vie for the empire, his plans are thrown into choas when his ex-wife, Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), mysteriously emerges seven years early from prison, where she's been for almost two decades. Brash and fearless, she sees herself as the sacrifical lamb who built an empire with Lucious and then took the fall for running the drugs that financed Lucious' early career. For now, Lucious remains firmly in control of Empire Entertainment. He is attended to by his hard-working assistant, Becky (Gabourey Sidibe), and relies on longtime friend and Chairman of the Board Vernon Turner (Malik Yoba) for advice and support. He relies on a whole more from Anika Gibbons (Grace Gealey), the head of A&R for Empire and his current girlfriend. As the Lyons slug it out, an emotional chess game begins that will either cause the family's destruction or redemption. Lives and loves will be lost as the complicated family will come together and fall apart over the elusive throne, all set to an original soundtrack written and produced by Timbaland. * 2016 Golden Globe Winner - Taraji P. Henson - Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series - Drama * 2016 Golden Globe Nominee - Best Television Series - Drama