Empire will air what could be its final episode Tuesday, April 21, but in an ideal world, there will be more. Co-creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong are both optimistic that while the show had to stop production with two hours of content remaining in its final season, a proper series finale may still come some day.
Lee Daniels spoke ahead of Empire's current final episode, and shared thanks for everything he's experienced with the show. Daniels said in a statement (via THR) that while he's upset the show couldn't do the finale as intended, he's hoping there's still a chance to do that and more in the future.
The success of Empire and bringing the Lyon family to broadcast television will always be one of the proudest achievements of my career. This show is the definition of breaking barriers. Thank you to our incredible cast, especially Terrence and Taraji, along with our amazing writers and tireless crew, for all of their hard work and bringing this story to life. I think there’s more to do with these characters, and I’m heartbroken we aren’t getting to shoot the finale we wanted — at least not yet. But you know what they say in television? Stay tuned! To the Empire.
Empire's current final episode, "Home Is On The Way," will be a Cookie-centric episode. Taraji P. Henson's character will reflect on her life and her past with Lucious (Terrence Howard), and the Lyons will take on one of their biggest enemies yet. There's not much in the way of what exactly fans should expect, although if they don't like the ending, at least fans can take solace in that it might not be the end for good.
For what it's worth, Danny Strong said that the original Empire finale was one that everyone in the know was a fan of. It's kind of a downer to hear ahead of the finale the Fox series will actually show, but perhaps the passion for this finale will make Strong and Lee Daniels that much more adamant about ensuring it sees the light of day.
We’re so proud of this show and of everything this incredible cast — led by Taraji and Terrence — and crew accomplished over six seasons. The episode airing on April 21 was never meant to be the series finale, but due to current events it will likely be the last one our fans will see for a while. We had an ending for the series planned that we all loved, and hopefully someday we’ll be able to film it and give the series its proper conclusion. But we hope everyone tunes in to our last original episode, because the work done by our cast and crew deserves to be seen by the widest audience possible. Big thank you to Fox for being our home for these many years. And here’s hoping this isn’t the end.
The question now is will Empire get some kind of movie television event that consists of the final episodes? It's also possible Empire's story could conclude via a spinoff series, which the franchise has flirted with in the past. Lee Daniels discussed the possibility of an Empire spinoff back in early January (via Deadline), one that potentially starred Taraji P. Henson's Cookie. It's possible the final episodes could've set the stage for that a little better, but with them nixed, perhaps they'd be used to kick off an entirely new series?
There is a chance that Fox just completely closes out Empire completely. Though the series has been successful on the network, its tangential spinoff Star was cancelled after 3 seasons. Perhaps Fox will decide this upcoming finale is enough, and move on from the Lyon family and their chaotic lives.
As mentioned, Empire's current finale is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more on what's happening with television, and for a look at what's happening with movies as well.
