Cyrus Langhorne
Fox’s hit “Empire” television series continues to bury its competition despite suffering a minor ratings dip this week.
According to reports, dominated the ratings chart amongst its Wednesday (May 4) night contenders.
According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, “Empire” (3.6 rating/12 share in adults 18-49, 9.3 million viewers overall) was down a little from recent weeks to its second lowest score to date, but it continued to dominate the night. And considering that last night marked the first time since it returned on March 30 that it faced all-original regular competition on ABC, CBS and NBC, that result is all the more impressive. The soap, which wraps its second season in two weeks, tripled its lead-in from “Rosewood” (1.2/4 in 18-49, 4.3 million viewers overall), which was down a tick from last week. (Variety)
Recently, “Empire” star Bre-Z spoke to SOHH about her show’s overwhelming success.
“I think “Empire” is one of the greatest things to happen to this generation. I’m very thankful for Lee Daniels and the team for this creation of the show. It’s an honor to be a part of it. It’s number one because it’s number one. There’s not a flaw, in my opinion, in the show. It caters to a few different walks of life that have never been broadcasted to national primetime television. Most shows are so made-up and scripted and dramatic, over-the-top but this show’s very safe. It’s a very safe show.” (SOHH)
Earlier this year, show stud Trai Byers denied reports about wanting to leave “Empire.”
Recent reports about Trai wanting to ditch the hit Fox television series landed across various media outlets.
“Trai wants out,” said an insider. “He feels that he studied at Yale and he’s a ‘true thespian’ . . . The character is beneath him. He has an idea of himself as being this big Shakespearean actor.” “At first, being on ‘Empire’ was major for him. But he feels his character is not as important this season, and he hates not being the star,” said a source. “He thinks he has the acting chops of Taraji and Terrence. He doesn’t get how the show benefits him, and he feels he has way too much talent when he’s not the star by any means.” (Page Six)
