Empire News: Show Boss Talks About Season 2 Renewal, Why FOX Drama Is ‘Black Dynasty

News

There is no question that Empire has surprised television fans and critics alike and has established itself as the must-see mid-season hit of 2015. After only two episodes, the show already received a Season 2 renewal from FOX and appears to only be getting better.

In a recent interview, showrunner Ilene Chalkin recently discussed the success of the primetime soap and what to expect moving forward.

On the early Season 2 renewal and what it means…
“It allows me to know that we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us! It’s so important to all of us to keep up what [creators] Lee [Daniels] and Danny [Strong], and [executive producers] Brian [Grazer] and Francie [Calfo] started. Not that they’re not going to be joining us, but they gave us such a gift with this show, and we are absolutely dedicated to keeping it every bit as fresh and good in a second season — and for many seasons to come.”

On why it took so long for a primetime soap to tackle the hip-hop industry…
“It is delicious, and I think that that’s a big part of it. Television works best when it takes the audience some place new, gives them an experience that they’ve never had before and couldn’t have had elsewhere, but that’s also profoundly relatable in so many ways.”

On referring to the show as a ‘black Dynasty‘…
“You know, Lee Daniels has no hesitation about it. Lee has always called this his “black Dynasty.” He wants the show to be that. My feeling is: I don’t run from it, I don’t object to it, but I do think that this show is better than those soap operas from that era. And I grew up in that era, I learned at the feet of Aaron Spelling. I worked for Aaron Spelling for many years. But I think that this show has qualities, and importance, and authenticity that those shows didn’t have. They were confections, while there’s a lot of grit and a lot of truth in Empire that feels much more powerful.”

To read the entire interview, visit TVLine.com