Emmy Episodes: Empire

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. This year, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Empire: Season 2, Episode 17 “Rise by Sin” (C+)
Nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Taraji P. Henson)

Now this is an Emmy episode. I’m not a fan of this show, and clearly Emmy voters aren’t all that much either since they only nominated Henson this year. That may actually work in her favor since she stands out as the true star of this soap-filled show. She took home the Golden Globe on her first try earlier this year since the show premiered in January 2015, and now I think she’s headed on the path towards a very possible Emmy win. The fact that this episode centers around an awards show doesn’t hurt, though let’s hope that the event won’t be nearly as dramatic. It’s clear from everything that happened in this episode that Lucious is a terrible human being, lying about his mother having killed herself, cruelly telling Jamal that he’ll celebrate the day he dies from AIDS, and that’s only the stuff we witnessed in this hour. You’d think that Oscar nominee Terrence Howard might be the one worth watching, but the look that Henson shoots at him when they lose the award encapsulated the fantastic nature of her performance. She walks all over this show and everyone on it, yelling at her friend that she doesn’t care about her and boldly declaring “We ain’t the Partridges! We ain’t the Brady Bunch!” She also demonstrates a range of emotions, confessing about snitching to get out of prison and then going into full-on motherly mode when Jamal got shot. It’s great to see that Henson found a role worthy of her talents after being the blandest part of a show I enjoyed much more, “Person of Interest.” I’d be more than happy if she won given her level of commitment to this performance even though I’m obviously rooting for some of her competition.

Pilot Review: Empire

Empire (FOX)
Premiered January 7 at 9pm

What’s with all the singing on TV today? “Galavant” contained plenty of that earlier this week, and this show isn’t even as secure in what it wants to be, occasionally infusing music in a way that seems believable but then having characters belt their hearts out at other moments. It’s not a surprise to see Terrence Howard in this kind of role after he burst onto the scene in 2005 with a similar part in “Hustle and Flow,” though his character in FOX’s new series is considerably more successful and full of himself, much removed from his humble roots. This certainly represents a meaty role for Taraji P. Henson, who spent her time on “Person of Interest” playing a rather unchallenging and somewhat dull straight man to her action-loving counterparts. Here, she has the opportunity to chew scenery galore but also make sure that Cookie is a complex and substantial character. Every time I see Malik Yoba I lament the fact that “Alphas” was cancelled by Syfy and that he’ll never have as great a role as he did playing Bill on that show. Howard is the right person to play Lucious, and he’s not a terribly likeable character. The show isn’t too likeable either, unfortunately, so filled with over-the-top personalities and divas that it’s hard to latch on to any one of them and get into their storylines. It’s an ambitious project for FOX to take on, one that suits the network but isn’t likely to be able to sustain itself for too long.

How will it work as a series? Cookie is trying to play two of her sons against each other so that her third and oldest son can inherit the company from their father, who no one knows is dying. That’s a lot of drama that isn’t likely to be able to last without imploding and getting far too soapy for its own good.
How long will it last? Credited as FOX’s highest-rated new show in years by Entertainment Weekly, this show’s future does look promising. That said, numbers like this are hard to sustain, and I think this one may crash and burn before FOX decides to re-up and give it a second season.

Pilot grade: C