Fox Renews ‘Empire’ For Second Season After Two Episodes

With a 5.3 Nielsen rating, Fox’s Empire has become one of the top-rated series of this television season. The early success has earned a renewal for a second season from Fox, as the network made the news official at the 2015 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour on Saturday.
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Actress Taraji P. Henson and series co-executive producers Lee Daniels and Danny Strong reacted to the news via Twitter. Henson’s tweet can be viewed below. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Empire is the only new broadcast drama this season to grow in ratings from week one to week two.
“The Empire has you, the people, to thank,” Henson tweeted. “There would be no Empire without you, the beautiful people. So thank you again. You guys are the best!”
Renewals after one or two episodes are not standard, but there is a precedent. In 2012, TNT renewed the sci-fi drama Falling Skies after four episodes. Coincidentally, Power—the 50 Cent-produced Starz drama the rapper said Empire took its cues from—was also renewed for a second season after one episode. Empire currently has more video on demand viewing than any other Fox show this season, earning more than 1.1 million total viewers.