The Taraji P. Henson-starring music drama has been renewed for a fifth season, while Hulu has ordered a third season for the Emmy-winning dystopian series.
- May 3, 2018
AceShowbiz - FOX has greenlit "Empire" for another season. The network has picked up the music drama, which hails from creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, for a fifth season.
" 'Empire' is as compelling, emotional and unpredictable as it ever was. We are so proud of our amazing cast, led by Terrence [Terrence Howard] and Taraji [Taraji P. Henson], who deliver powerful performances week after week," said FBC Entertainment president Michael Thorn. "We'd also like to thank our tremendous creative team -- Lee, Danny, Brett, Ilene, Sanaa, Brian and Francie -- whose inspired storytelling continues to create the unforgettable, jaw-dropping OMG moments that have always been signature to 'Empire'."
Brett Mahoney, who takes over Ilene Chaiken's showrunning duties in the interim for the second half of current season 4, is tapped to continue serving as showrunner. He will also executive produce alongside Daniels, Strong, Imagine Television's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo, Sanaa Hamri, Dennis Hammer and Chaiken.
FOX hasn't revealed how many episodes the upcoming fifth season will have. However, "Empire" usually has 18 episodes per season.
The series takes the second place of FOX's series in adults 18-49 and total viewers. It averages 11.3 million viewers and a 2.6 rating among the demo.
"Empire" is not the only series that has been given a new season renewal. Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale has also been picked up for season 3. The renewal doesn't come as a surprise since the Emmy-winning series, by far, is the most popular and critically-acclaimed series on the network, bagging five Emmys last year.
Starring Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd and Samira Wiley, "The Handsmaid's Tale" is based on the classic novel of the same name by Margaret Wood. Season 2 is currently airing on Hulu.
