Critic’s Notebook: “Empire,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Nashville” and More

In my Academy Awards column last week I noted that the acting and writing on some of television’s finest dramas was comparable (or in some cases superior) to much of what could be enjoyed in the movies nominated this year for Best Picture. I speculated that the relatively modest performances at the box office by most of those films might be the result of so much of television drama being so much more rewarding than most movies – even the highly honored independent productions.