Fox’s “Empire” Ends Its Sizzling Freshman Season Tonight. I Miss It Already. – Ed Martin

The amp8220traditionalamp8221 television season doesnamp8217t end for two more months but in many respects broadcast might as well call it a wrap after tonight Thatamp8217s because the freshman run of the most surprising and entertaining new series of the year amp8211 Foxamp8217s amp8220Empireamp8221 will conclude at 8 pm ET with a twohour special Click on the pic below for a sneak preview featuring guest star Snoop DoggWith this show and that other thrilling gamechanger ABCamp8217s amp8220How to Get Away with Murderquot gone until fall there will be very little else on broadcast television these next few weeks to stir up much excitement Thank heaven for CBSamp8217 amp8220The Good Wifeamp8221What a ride the makers of amp8220Empireamp8221 have taken us on with their uncommonly distinctive show which seemed to come out of nowhere and instantly take the world by storm I donamp8217t recall that happening quite so excitingly with a broadcast series since the outofthegate blockbuster success of CBSamp8217 amp8220CSIamp8221 when it debuted in October 2000 and before that NBCamp8217s amp8220ERamp8221 at the time of its September 1994 premiereThose two shows didnamp8217t just blow the doors off ratingswise they also changed everything at the time of their arrivals reimagining two of televisionamp8217s most exhausted genres amp8211 the procedural crime drama and the medical drama amp8211 in ways that made them feel like something completely new But those shows accomplished bigger broader things amp8220ERamp8221 accelerated the pace of the standard network hour drama with more frequent edits more kinetic camerawork and multiple storylines all set to music that was pulsepounding for its day The same happened with amp8220CSIamp8221 There had never been a crime or detective show like it It raised the broadcast bar for gruesome violence and explicit torture and the frank exploration of extreme sexual behavior but it did so with the highest quality acting and production values Americans couldnamp8217t get enoughAnd now we have amp8220Empireamp8221 another outstanding scripted show that isnamp8217t afraid to stand apart from the rest and take an unarguably adult approach to its storytelling something that surprisingly few broadcast dramas today manage to do Chief among the few notable exceptions are CBSamp8217 amp8220The Good Wifeamp8221 NBCamp8217s amp8220The Blacklistamp8221 and amp8220Hannibalamp8221 and ABCamp8217s amp8220Scandalamp8221 and amp8220How to Get Away with Murderamp8221 Like amp8220ERamp8221 and amp8220amp8221CSIamp8221 before it amp8220Empireamp8221 has taken an aged genre amp8211 the primetime soap amp8211 and supercharged it in a way we havenamp8217t seen since the glory days of amp8220Dallasamp8221 and amp8220Dynastyamp8221 which seem tame today but were quite bold for their timeamp8220Empireamp8221 has done something that hasnamp8217t happened in years and should give all of the broadcast networks a sense of renewed hope It has continued to dramatically grow its audience throughout its first season amp8211 this without the repeat plays and marathons that help boost so many basic and pay cable shows in their infancies Itamp8217s that suddenly rarest of broadcast franchises A scripted drama that simply must be watched at the time of its live airing less the mushroom cloud of spoilers that permeates social and traditional media after every telecast ruin the funMany critics have chosen to identify as the primary reason for its success the diversity of its cast which is almost 100 percent African American Thatamp8217s certainly an important aspect of its popularity given the overall whitewashing of scripted television throughout broadcast history but I would argue that amp8220Empireamp8221 is a phenomenon for other reasons as well amp8211 not the least of which is the fact that viewers of all ages enjoy a compelling primetime serial as long as it doesnamp8217t play like a wornout retread of those that have come before amp8220Empireamp8221 excels because of its dynamic concept its masterful blend of contemporary issuedriven drama and carefully timed melodrama its frisky sense of humor its distinctive dialogue its strong message about the power and importance of family the overall fearlessness of its storytelling for example the lead male character is a nasty sexist homophobic ruthless businessman and above all else its respect for its audienceThe catchy original music in every episode doesnamp8217t hurt either The performances in amp8220Empireamp8221 are entirely organic to the narrative which revolves around a thriving musiccentered entertainment companyTo sum that up amp8220Empireamp8221 from the start has delivered on everything that it has promised week after week The producers and writers of this show have never taken the easy way out of anything or sanitized anything for popular consumption As a result itamp8217s more popular than just about anything on televisionI canamp8217t imagine what season two will be like Also I canamp8217t imagine waiting six or more months to again enjoy amp8220Cookie Timeamp8221 or to hear Taraji P Hensonamp8217s already iconic character say things like amp8220If you want Cookieamp8217s nookie ditch the bitchamp8221 as she famously told her exhusband Lucious Lyon Terrence Howard after a romp in bed that had him wanting more even though he had a girlfriendIn just a few short weeks Cookie Lucious and their sons Andre Trai Byers Jamal Jussie Smollett and Hakeem Bryshere Y Gray have set the stage for the Lyons to join the Ewings and the Carringtons in the soap genreamp8217s Hall of Famous Families Executives at broadcast and cable companies had me convinced in recent years that we would never again see a success story like amp8220Empireamp8221 Iamp8217m so glad they were wrongEd Martin is the Editor of Planet Ed and MediaBizBloggers and the television and video critic for MyersBizNet Follow him on Twitter at PlanetEdCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates at MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Fox’s “Empire” Ends Its Sizzling Freshman Season Tonight. I Miss It Already. – Ed Martin

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Fox’s “Empire” Ends Its Sizzling Freshman Season Tonight. I Miss It Already. – Ed Martin

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