Fox has finally got the ball rolling on its 2018-19 renewals. The network on Wednesday handed out a fifth season renewal for Lee Daniels and Danny Strong drama Empire.
The hip-hop series starring Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard is Fox’s first veteran drama to earn a renewal for the 2018-19 season. It joins 911, The Gifted, The Orville and The Simpsons on the network’s schedule for next season.
While not the lightning rod it once was, Empire is Fox’s second-most-watched drama behind Ryan Murphy’s 911 in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic (2.9 with seven days of DVR). The renewal comes as Daniels has become increasingly important to 20th TV following Ryan Murphy’s upcoming move to Netflix. Daniels’ overall with the studio expires in June, with the prolific showrunner currently in the midst of negotiating a new pact.
The series, produced by Imagine Television’s Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, also counts Ilene Chaiken, Sanaa Hamri, Brett Mahoney and Dennis Hammer among its exec producers. This season, Chaiken stepped back as showrunner to focus on development — she has a drama starring Katie Holmes in contention at Fox — with Mahoney taking over day-to-day leadership of the series.
“Empire is as compelling, emotional and unpredictable as it ever was,” said Michael Thorn, Fox entertainment president. “We are so proud of our amazing cast, led by Terrence and Taraji, who deliver powerful performances week after week. 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.”
