From left, Taraji P. Henson as Cookie and Terrence Howard as Lucious on "Empire." (Chuck Hodes/FOX)
Guns, glamour, hip-hop royalty, melodrama, music, tragedy — just some of the reasons “Empire” is Fox’s new phenomenon.
It has grown in either the key demo rating or in total viewers — or both — during each of its first four weeks, a feat rarely seen in TV today. But, why does it continue to grow?
Looking beyond the impressive Nielsen numbers, Fox Entertainment president David Madden is more interested in anecdotally pointing out that his new hit has become a “cultural phenomenon.”
“It has clearly gone past the level of a successful show,” he stated.
Madden is correct, but again, why? Well, it’s a combination of many things. One being that “Empire” has tapped into an underserved African-American market, which is true, and a TV trend this season. While it is no mystery that Fox targeted black viewers, they also intended to nab women, which they’ve accomplished by exploiting the soapy elements of the show.
TheWrap already wrote about the target market weeks ago, alongside the advertising plan that has given the network a great return on investment. Though both bear repeating, the series’ creative aspects are what this story is focused on.
“Neither Lee [Daniels], nor Danny [Strong], nor Ilene [Chaiken] … have made any secret of the fact that they are aiming for a lot of the same feel and tone of shows like ‘Dynasty’ and ‘Dallas,'” Madden said. “We all love to see people at very high levels — levels of royalty — who are bashing each other and bringing other down. That’s been a staple of drama since the ancient Greeks.”
In addition to Daniels, Strong and Chaiken, Brian Grazer is an executive producer on the series.
Two more demographics points before abandoning them completely: First, a by-product of the show cast with minorities has been a strong Hispanic following — a great demo to do business with in 2015.
Second, and obviously separately, Madden was also quick to point out that “Empire” is actually the second-best new show among men — behind only his other freshman hit, “Gotham.” Surely males respond more to certain facets of his show that are more prevalent in hip-hop than say country music, explaining why “Empire” resonates more here rather than say ABC’s “Nashville — a question we asked Madden to explain.
“One difference is that the rap and hip-hop world has been largely unexplored on the major broadcast networks,” Madden theorized on the show’s hispanic and male audiences. “There is a rich history of incredible music in that world, but there’s also been a bit of danger to it. And that creates more sense of melodrama. The hip-hop music business can be a fertile ground for high stakes drama.”
“We have a show that clearly is tapping into people’s sense of authenticity,” he added. “Right now, people are relishing the ‘Oh my God I can’t believe I just saw that’ experience of the show. We’re trying to support that.”
Creators Daniels and Strong, alongside showrunner Chaiken (whom Madden told TheWrap plays a “more critical day-to-day part than she gets credit for”), are getting all of Fox’s support. They’re also getting a ton of praise from Madden and Co., alongside their high expectations.
“They are actually pretty disciplined storytellers,” Madden said of “Empire’s” creative team. “They’re aware that sometimes you watch a show like this for those — to use a dated phrase — water cooler moments.”
He continued, “We’re expecting them to deliver those moments, and so far we haven’t had to pull them back.”
Whether those almost-certain imitators work or not is another story. After all, stars have to align for a hit in 2015 — and “Empire’s” actual stars have also propped the show up creatively, something that would be difficult to recreate.
“You’re casting people to play royalty, you needed royalty,” Madden said of Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. “They have that same kind of size and grandeur that Jay Z has and Beyonce has.”
And the music — which Madden calls “honest but not alienating” — is surely a star itself. Though it may not be up to “Drunk in Love” snuff, it’s working — just check out the iTunes charts and/or critical reception.
“What Timbaland did so brilliantly is he found a way to make the music feel authentic if you’re a hip-hop person, and still very accessible if you’re not,” Madden said of “Empire’s” music supervisor.
Madden teased that two of Timbaland’s very best songs have been saved for the season finale, so save some Apple bucks for then.
All told, the Fox executive cannot overstate the importance of “Empire” to his network at a time where the last-place broadcaster could use every hit it gets, though that didn’t stop him from trying at the end of our phone call.
“Every conversation begins and ends with ‘Empire.’ We start every meeting talking about ‘Empire,'” Madden reiterated.
“This is not just a hit, this is a show that is game-changing, and we want to do everything we can to keep that experience going, to keep that fire burning, and at the same time use that as a platform to support our other shows, to launch our other shows,” he concluded.
“Empire” airs Wednesdays on Fox at 9 p.m.
40 Best and Worst Actors Playing Real-Life Musicians (Photos)
The 1950s biopic “The Glenn Miller Story” took substantial liberties with the real story, but Jimmy Stewart was persuasive enough as the star bandleader to make the movie a big hit.
Universal
If you’re looking for somebody to play Hank Williams, the haunted, skeletal composer of such heartbreak classics as this 1964 movie’s title track, “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” George Hamilton is not exactly the guy who first springs to mind.
MGM
We knew Diana Ross could sing after her string of hits in the ‘60s, but we didn’t know she could act until she made an astounding film debut as the tortured Billie Holiday in 1972's “Lady Sings the Blues.”
Paramount Pictures
Director Ken Russell’s thesis in 1975's “Lisztomania” was that classical composers were the rock stars of their day, so he enlisted real rock star Roger Daltrey to mug his way through an overheated extravaganza about Franz Liszt.
Warner Bros.
“Bound for Glory,” a lavishly fictionalized 1976 recounting of the life of troubadour Woody Guthrie was nominated for six Oscars and won two – and it moved David Carradine, briefly, from a TV lead who made B movies to an unconventional movie star.
United Artists
Before he was a made-for-TV wacko, Gary Busey was a pretty fine actor – and never better than when he played the title role in 1978's “The Buddy Holly Story,” a biopic of the ‘50s rock star whose life ended early.
Columbia
As a kid, Kurt Russell acted alongside Elvis Presley in “It Happened at the World’s Fair.” As an adult, he got to act like the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the 1979 TV miniseries “Elvis.”
Dick Clark Productions
No, she’s not actually playing Janis Joplin -- but Bette Midler’s powerhouse performance in "The Rose" as a fearsomely talented, self-destructive and very Joplin-esque singer was the closest we’ve gotten to Janis onscreen, despite numerous recent efforts.
Fox
A lot of real country singers appeared in Michael Apted’s 1980 Loretta Lynn biopic “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” but actress Sissy Spacek took the central role (and the Oscar) after being personally chosen by Lynn.
Universal
“Amadeus” (1984) took its title from Mozart’s middle name, and Tom Hulce was just fine as the bratty prodigy – but this is Salieri’s story, and F. Murray Abraham’s movie.
Orion Pictures
Par for the course in musical biopics, 1985's “Sweet Dreams” was attacked for the liberties it took with the true story – but Jessica Lange was persuasive enough to land her fourth Oscar nomination as Patsy Cline.
TriStar
Gary Oldman has said he doesn’t like his haunted and ferocious performance as the self-destructive and ill-fated Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious in 1986's “Sid & Nancy,” but most would disagree with him.
Samuel Goldwyn
Lou Diamond Phillips, meanwhile, burst onto the scene in 1987's “La Bamba” as Richie Valens, another rocker who died in the same plane crash that killed Holly.
Columbia
Decades before Clint Eastwood’s so-so “Jersey Boys,” he hit the right notes with 1988's “Bird,” his look at jazz titan Charlie Parker – and Forest Whitaker’s quiet but towering performance won him the Best Actor award at Cannes in 1988.
Warner Bros.
T Bone Burnett, who worked on 1989's "Great Balls of Fire," which starred an over-the-top Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis, once lamented that this cartoonish romp “made it look like the Dukes of Hazzard invented rock ‘n’ roll.”
Orion Picutres
Perhaps the excesses of Oliver Stone’s 1991 film “The Doors” aren’t far removed from the excesses of its subject, Jim Morrison. Val Kilmer embraces them all with deranged gusto.
TriStar
Both Angela Bassett and co-star Laurence Fishburne received Oscar nominations for their roles as Tina Turner and her abusive husband Ike in 1993's “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” and Bassett won the Golden Globe for her fierce performance in a role first offered to Whitney Houston.
Buena Vista
The character is identified as “Mentor” in the credits of Quentin Tarantino's 1993 film "True Romance," but we all know (and love) the apparition, played by Val Kilmer, who pushes Christian Slater to stand up to Gary Oldman’s dreadlocked pimp: It's the ghost of Elvis, of course.
Warner Bros.
Stephen Dorff was so impressive as original Beatles bassist Stu Sutcliffe in 1994's “Backbeat” that no less an authority than Paul McCartney, who otherwise hated the film, called him “astonishing.”
Gramercy
From a Sex Pistol to classical icon Ludwig Van Beethoven in 1994's “Immortal Beloved,” Oldman shows the broadest range of anybody on this list. But his randy Ludwig Van isn’t one of his best showcases.
Sony/Columbia
Fans of the Mexican-American singer Selena were upset that a New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, Jennifer Lopez, was chosen for the title role in 1997's “Selena” – but J-Lo’s star-making performance silenced most of the critics.
Warner Bros.
In 2002's wondrously weird rock ‘n’ roll mummy movie "Bubba Ho-Tep," Bruce Campbell gives us an aging, decrepit Elvis who can still gloriously kick butt.
Vitagraph
OK, we admit it: We haven’t seen 2003's “The Night We Called It a Day.” But Dennis Hopper as Frank Sinatra? The prospect is too weird, and too delicious, to ignore.
ContentFilm International
Kevin Spacey directed, co-wrote and co-produced 2004 “Beyond the Sea,” as well as starring as ‘50s and ‘60s pop singer Bobby Darin – even though Darin died at the age of 37, making the 44-year-old Spacey’s performance problematic at times.
Lions Gate
Jamie Foxx’s career-making, Oscar-winning performance as Ray Charles in 2004's "Ray" launched the former “In Living Color” performer to a whole new level of stardom.
Universal
Joaquin Phoenix didn’t exactly sing like Johnny Cash in 2005's "Walk the Line" (no one can), but he captured some man-in-blackish essence, and Reese Witherspoon won the Oscar as June Carter.
Marion Cotillard won the Oscar for "La Vie en Rose," the first movie in which many Stateside viewers saw her – not that they’d recognize her under the makeup that transformed her into tiny, tortured chanteuse Edith Piaf.
Photographer-turned-director Anton Corbijn's moody black-and-white touch was just right for 2007's "Control," a story of the seminal post-punk band Joy Division starring Sam Riley as Ian Curtis, the singer who struggled to cope with success and with life.
Weinstein Company
Michael Shannon’s performance as Sunset Strip Svengali Kim Fowley is the standout in the middling 2010 movie “The Runaways”; Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning didn’t particularly stand out as Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, respectively.
Apparition
Alan Rickman survives 2013's “CBGB” relatively intact as the proprietor of a legendary ‘70s punk dive – but the poor actors roped into standing in for the stars of the scene, Malin Akerman as Debbie Harry among them, don’t fare nearly so well.
Xlrator Media
Clint Eastwood won kudos from theater fans for tapping Broadway stars for his movie adaptation of 2014's "Jersey Boys," but John Lloyd Young was a better singer and stage performer than actor in his performance as Frankie Valli.
Warner Bros.
In "Jimi: All Is By My Side," John Ridley’s upcoming, unorthodox year-in-the-life Jimi Hendrix story, former Outkast singer Andre Benjamin captures the spacey, dreamy side of a rock icon who lived in a purple haze.
Open Road
Chadwick Boseman has the moves and the hair to play James Brown in "Get On Up" – and when you’re playing the Godfather of Soul, those two things will take you all the way to funkytown.
Universal
Ethan Hawke stars in another adventurous film about a jazz legend, the Chet Baker fantasia “Born to Be Blue.” Like Baker’s music, the film (and Hawke’s performance) is dreamy, ethereal and heartbreaking.
Entertainment One
Haunted-looking and skeletal, Tom Hiddleston makes a convincing Hank Williams (and a creditable country singer) in “I Saw the Light,” but the conventional film is far more interested in drugs and booze than in Williams' brilliant music.
Sony Pictures Classics
“Miles Ahead,” actor-director Don Cheadle’s unconventional film about the jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, is odd and audacious – in other words, the kind of movie you should make if you’re going to make a movie about the revolutionary and unconventional musician.
Sony Pictures Classics
Zoe Saldana is a light-skinned woman of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, which has made her casting as the dark-skinned African American singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone a highly controversial one.
RLJ Entertainment
Michael Shannon plays the king of rock ‘n’ roll in the upcoming “Elvis & Nixon,” a comedic look at the 1970 meeting between Elvis Presley and U.S. President Richard Nixon (Kevin Spacey), at which Presley badgered Nixon into giving him a Drug Enforcement Administration badge.
Tribeca Film Festival
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Tom Hiddleston, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and Zoe Saldana are latest among the hundreds of actors who’ve tried playing musicians on screen
The 1950s biopic “The Glenn Miller Story” took substantial liberties with the real story, but Jimmy Stewart was persuasive enough as the star bandleader to make the movie a big hit.