As the inimitably feisty Cookie Lyons on Fox’s monster hit Empire, actress Taraji P. Henson moves to the beat of her own drum, and she doesn’t mind taking a swing at people with the drumsticks, either. So it should come as little surprise that Henson has beat Fox to the punch in cluing fans in on when we can find Empire hitting the air again: September 23, 2015. Game on, bitches.
Here’s how Henson dropped the news, via her Twitter page.
Sure, those two fingers were meant to signify “Season 2,” but I also like to think that she’s sending Fox some deuces to let them know that things are peaceful as she unleashes this highly anticipated announcement. It’s absolutely undeniable that Empire was THE TV event of the season, as it was one of the only series in history that managed to steadily attract a bigger audience week after week without a single dip. The premiere’s 9.9 million strong viewership grew to something over 17.6 million by the time the finale aired 11 episodes later, and it ended up as the most-watched scripted series of the season. I can’t imagine how big it would have gotten had Fox signed on for more episodes from the get-go.
That said, we might get to find out when Season 2 hits this fall, as Fox did decide to up the ante on the soapy operatic tale of Lucious Lyon and his musical legacy. We’ll be getting 18 episodes for this second round, but the network sadly isn’t going to give them to us all in a row like Season 1. The first nine episodes will air during the fall and into the winter, with a midseason hiatus coming between those and the second nine episodes. People are going to be rabid by the time that second batch hits, especially if the midseason finale is as gut-punching as the Season 1 ender.
Season 2 is going to be a doozy, as we’ll get to see what comes of the Lyon family following the shocking finale. (No spoilers, don’t worry.) But the fictional narrative isn’t even the only highlight, as Empire already has a stellar lineup of guest stars ready. We’ve got Oprah Winfrey coming, as well as Chris Rock, and the more rhythmic guests will include Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz and Common. And Gabourey Sidibe and Ta’Rahonda Jones have been upped to series regulars, so we’ll be seeing more of them, too.
Catch up on all of Empire Season 1 on Hulu, and get your game face on for when Season 2 hits Fox’s fall schedule on Wednesday, September 23.
