When you mix the sound of Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley with the calibrated perfection of director-producer Lee Daniels, it’s a no-brainer that an empire would rise from such a connection.
“Empire” is a hit. The Fox Jan. 6 premiere opened impressively with 9.8 million viewers and a 3.7 rating among adults 18-49.
The drama beat ABC’s “Modern Family” head-to-head.
Shakespearean in tone with a nod to “King Lear,” this series is about Black wealth inside a modern music dynasty earned from a life on the gritty, Philly streets by Empire Entertainment’s head, Lucious Lyon, played by the riveting Terrence Howard.
If “money makes the world go around,” then wealth tells it when to “stop and go.”
Lucious is a drug dealer-turned-rap star-turned-record mogul with a Midas touch who, as of late, has turned his eye to global diversification and, to one of his three sons, is “more concerned with selling T-shirts and watches and whatever.”
His driving ambition to transform Empire into a global brand rests in his desire to cement a place in the history books. His health failing, he learns that he’s dying of ALS.
The sacrifice that affords him a life of luxury has to be carefully protected and, to that end, he reveals his monstrous shades. He needs the right successor and sets his three sons in motion to fight for the crown.
On paper, it’s an unfair fight, a gladiatorial spectacle that will get gory. The eldest, Andre (Trai Byers), is a seasoned businessman with an Ivy League MBA and a white girlfriend to back up his bid. He’s that comfortable face that will make a mostly white board of directors comfortable that their agenda will be safely achieved.
On the other side is the baby, the very green Hakeem (Bryshere Gray), who, according to his father, is “lazy” and “hasn’t worked a day in his life,” but from the videos, he appears to be earning his street credits with his hard-partying and skillful rap skills.
His strong relationship with his other brother, Jamal (Jussie Smollett), clearly a musical prodigy, seems, on the surface to be a mismatch because Jamal is gay, which, in Lucious’ eyes, makes him a marketing nightmare and his least favorite choice.
In a heartbreaking flashback, he puts his young, high-heel-wearing son inside a trash can, cementing a lasting impression that he was never wanted. It’s a knockout moment expressed in Jamal’s song ‘’I Just Want You to Look at Me,’’ which is filled with pain and old heartache.
But don’t get it twisted—the empire belongs to Cookie, played with verve by Taraji P. Henson. Offering one of the most interesting characters in years, she plays the “hell out of” Cookie, Lucious’ ex, the boys’ mother and a clever iteration of the neglected and incarcerated good wife.
Cookie was serving 17 long years for selling drugs for her husband, and her surprise, early release makes the series pop and sizzle with energy. Not only is Lucious not pleased, he is stunned at the timing.
The second Cookie struts out of the slammer, rocking a fur and utterly furious, the audience is rooting for her to get what’s hers. The stakes are high, and not only because billions are on the table, but also because it’s family and it’s personal. To that end, Cookie turns her deft hand to constructing Jamal’s career and backs his coming out of the closet.
Cookie says the damnedest things, but it’s Henson’s show. This role would come off as pandering, or worse, campy. Instead, she elevates the role and keeps the character human, endearing and fascinating.
Lee Daniels is a game changer, and he brings his A team along to build the empire correctly.
“Empire” comes from writer Danny Strong (“Game Change”) and director Lee Daniels (“Precious”), collaborators on 2013’s “Lee Daniels: The Butler.” “Empire” keeps it gritty and authentic, and the music makes it relevant—a plus.
