The first season of Empire is based on Lucious Lyon the undisputed CEO of Empire entertainment but his medical challenge throws up a need to find a new heir.
The way Empire constantly keeps the gas pedal of its Maybach floored is what makes the ride so fun, of course; it's like a show for people who find themselves checking their watches during Scandal.
Over the course of two hours, Empire proved it was more interested in spectacle than in coherence, and that, in some sense, it's all the better for it.
So much of it seemed fresh, from the pulsing music to Cookie's swagger to Jamal's gay-pride crooning - which helped make Jussie Smollett the show's other breakout star.
