Jussie Smollett star continues to rise in Hollywood thanks to his well-received role in ‘Empire.’
Alas, his role has done little to stop the show from sliding to new lows on a ratings front.
Bad news below…
Last Wednesday’s episode is now the lowest-rated episode since its Thanksgiving midseason finale last November.
TV Line & Project Casting report:
Empire, ratings drop 12 percent to it’s lowest numbers since Thanksgiving’s mid-season finale, which is not a good sign for the once record breaking TV series. However, the show still was able to draw in 11.3 million viewers and 4.2 in the key demographic.
News of the show’s decline comes despite an intense campaign launched by Naomi Campbell to promote her role in the series on several platforms and game-changing storylines thrown into its mix by its writers.
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I’m not interested in this show anymore. It is all about ‘how to get away with murder’…
bayyyy-bee, I love htgawm too but the show has been dying.
It went from 13 million average in series 1 to average of 5.3 million viewers season 2. most likely facing cancellation after third series.
The storyline became tired with the last four episodes.
Underground is the better show to watch on Wednesday nights now. #SorryNotSorry
The gay boy’s vocals are average; the rapper is too soft and none of the girls except V has any raw talent; The gay boy is at every gay event showing his face and should be some where learning to sing live so he doesn’t sound like a SHEEP
ROFLMAO! Agreed! He does sound like a sheep! He needs vocal training.
11.3 Million is a LOT though
It’s written poorly and people aren’t impressed anymore. How to get away with murder is far better and far more intellectual than this trashy low brow show. Don’t insult our need for diversity by giving us gruel and expect us to treat it as caviar because you know we’re desperate. It’s wrong and this is why it’s failing.
Too much gay shyt. It’s a gay soap opera.
The show has one gay character, so chill. Years ago, people were saying the same s*** about black characters in TV shows.
Don’t do it! Do not compare the experiences of being black to being gay because it’s not the same thing. Being gay didn’t stop Rock Hudson from being a star because he could hide it. Black folks have never had that luxury.
blacks don’t have closets
HONEY THEY NEED A REAL GAY ON THE SHOW, not some light skin boy who ACTS LIKE A WHITE BOY; Spice it up I need a flaming queen like a young lee Daniels to turn it out
The show is SHÎŢ now, that’s why…
.
It won’t make it to season 4.
.
#BookmarkMe.
It was that long a*s break! I started watching a few other shows during that time and when empire came back on I was like, meh…
I never got the hype on this show. Barely watched one episode. I knew it was going to eventually crash and burn. Too much hype. Too much guest stars. Too much gay stuff. Taraji was getting a big head. It got too hot too soon
I agree at first it had potential but the gay foolishness is too much I feel Lee Daniels pushing his agenda taraji too much overacting the show is poorly written it’s become a guest star show every week unessessary they need shondra to write for them and they have the nerve to compare it to dynasty hell no to the no no no not even close
I agree. Lee Daniels let success get to his head. He’s doing too much now
If you aren’t watching a show because the “gay” scenes make you uncomfortable, than you’re probably “gay,” too. It’s not apart of an agenda for people who are gay to embrace and celebrate themselves. This show is dipping because of poor story line, plain and simple.
Not fan of this show anymore since season 2 began. “POWER” is the show to watch! And its coming back in JULY!!!
If only they had held out with the bunkie thing and let it build the show probably would’ve been bigger
Bye bye Empire. I want to support all good black shows because we know how rare they are but I can’t support the shoddy writing and acting I’ve been seeing recently. The layers in Jamal’s character are as flat as a witch’s titty and Cookie is nothing more than a glorified stock character. Also, whether people want to believe it or not, the masses are still uncomfortable with the sight of two men kissing and that’s turned people off. Let’s not forget that the gay rights movement seems more in fashion than it really is because of legislation pushed through without the general public’s vote. This has created an illusion Lee fell for and now he and his dollar store menu quality show is dwindling. Give me HTGAWM any day of the week. That show doesn’t insult my intelligence and looks at a wider scope of what it means to be a black person. We are far more than Hip Hop, sassy one liners and “the streets.”
Amen! Lol. And LmaOoooo! !! @ Flatter than a witches titty
@Brother man Damn you went all the way in. Nice perspective and I couldn’t agree more.
Please don’t compare the civil rights movement to anything else please. African Americans were tortured (literally) for 400 years before they had to FIGHT against the system for their rights. Fighting to protect yourself from being killed isn’t the same as fighting to marry who you want or kiss who you want on camera. Also, Lee Daniels’ presentation of LGBT characters is horrible. The first lesbian on the show is a predatory villain who preys on straight women and the gay photographer who worked with Jamal was a promiscuous home wrecker who tried to give him a whistle job in a public place. I always find it so fascinating how quick people like you are so aware of the importance of LGBT representation but then turn around and act as if you don’t know why ethnic minorites seek the same. Don’t even get me started on the show’s stereotypical Latinas or the way in which its writers are struggling to flesh out Hakeem’s character because they care or know so little about what real African American boys his age are like. Like I said, I’ll stick to HTGAWM. That show actually has writers who know how to write.
Gay rights aren’t ‘fashionable’, hence the word rights. If seeing some dudes kissing is freaking people out, maybe Lee Daniels is just doing his bit to get the bigots to join the 21st Century. FYI, the Civil Rights Act was also ‘pushed through without the general public’s vote’. The idea of Equal Rights being put the the public’s vote is ridiculous. They’re called rights because everyone is entitled to them.
Comparing civil rights to someone’s sexual preference is retarded!!!! Minorities can’t change their ethnicities but a gay person can keep their sh*t where it needs to be “PRIVATE!!!!!!!!!!! Just because people are pushing an agenda doesn’t mean everyone else and their children have to be forced to watch. Why do gays feel like they need everybody’s attention? Be who the f*ck you are and understand that that’s your “PERSONAL” business!!!
It had its run. But i stopped watching TV all together. Empire thahnots htgawm blah!
Girl your cable must got cut off?
Empire will be ok; numbers are awesome for all black cast. Better Writers, stronger story lines that hold and build momentum. Everything Happens so fast in Empire. HAHN slaying everything. I love Empire but HAHN momentum is unbeatable. HTGAWM my s*** too. Love Power but 50 still a b**** n****.
The haves and the have nots? I love that show! I agree that things happen too fast on empire but I think things happen too slow on the haves and the have nots…it drags and drags lol but that’s probably why I can’t stop watching it.
That show is so stupid. I watched about 5 episodes the first season just to support, but it was corny crap. Underground>
Didn’t I say this show was trash and all hype?
And the “gay” excuse doesn’t count because Walsh and Oliver are always having sèx and kissing
The first season was great but just like glee did, it’s fading away. The story line is all trashy right now, HTGAWM make my DNA scream excitement.
This show is boring now
Damn! Can we at least have Mariah and Janet cameo first and then they can cancel the show. They might even pull all the stops to get Bey, Rih, or Taylor to cameo to increase the ratings if they have to.
I used to love Empire but now I don’t even look forward to it anymore. The first season was great but they packed too much into that season that they should have carried over to season two. Taraji’s character is now too over the top and uninspired and Jussie’s character became so dark that we don’t want to root for him anymore. The writing has gotten bad and this whole “who will run Empire” storyline is getting tired. Lucious has also become too one dimensional. Please find a new storyline!
It does not have anything to do with gayness.. I’m gay and I stopped watching this show. It just got soooo boring…
empire has lost directions
Good. Refuse to watch all that sick depraved gay s*** they promote.
11 million viewers is a lot. You guys are always ready to write something off. I haven’t watched Empire this season because I’m no longer interested, but I’m not gonna
gonna act like 11M views is a flop….
I am not uncomfortable about gay people having s** but it’s pushed in your face on this show every week the gay community want you to accept them or else it’s the gay world and we just exist I’m waiting for the almighty so yall can live your freak lives for all I care this country have no belief anymore it’s anything goes accept it or else pay the price for dirty filthy behavior and you wonder why people killing each other there use to be fear now the media wants to rewrite history the worst you behave you get rewarded it’s sick kids use to have faith to believe in one kid shot another for just looking at him in the train station
11 million is still decent, now if it went down to 6-8 mill then a revamp would be needed. The story line does seem to be rushed in one episode bring it back to good coherent writing.
I think what I don’t like about the show besides everything else mentioned above. Is Jamaal’s voice. I though he could sing before but the more I hear him I cringe. His voice is nothing special compared to past and sum of thr current R&B sinngers.
His voice is weak af and too whiny. I don’t like the rapper brother too – corny…
The show portrays black ppl as the sterotype, always mixed with violence, crime and ghetto messy drama.
I haven’t watched this season. Jussie was really good on Underground though.
That fliply floply duply flip flopping scene wasn’t that necessary though ????????
Some of y’all sound dumb af. Being gay isn’t a preference, it is something people are born with. Black ppl and gay ppl are similar in that they are discriminated against. A child cannot choose of he is gay or black, rich or poor. It can be hard to ‘hide’ the fact one is gay, just like it is hard to hide the fact that someone is black.
The civil rights movement of black peoplw, and rights of gay ppl are fighting for the same, EQUALITY…
If you disagree, maybe you need to keep your blackness in “private” too…
You fool! It is impossible to discriminate against gay people in the way it is to do black people and history has proved that. It’s so interesting to see how quick people are to align themselves with the black civil rights movement to further their own agendas but care little about anything related to the black experience when it can’t benefit them. I can tell you that most gay men are “unclockable” and enjoy all the benefits of straight privilege in society and in Hollywood even though they are just as gay as their openly gay brothers and sisters. Black people don’t have the ability to hide the thing being used to discriminate against them which is why comparing the two is pretty foolish. I can tell you as someone who’s dabbled with dudes that I have never faced discrimination related to being gay because society assumes I’m 100 percent straight even though I may have messed around with more dudes than the “feminine” guy being bullied by the SAME system that works to my advantage. However, I don’t have the power to be unclockable as a black man so I cannot avoid racism even if I tried to. Let’s not even start with the way in which the gay community fetishises the black male body and reduces Straight acting men of color to players in sexual taboo fantasies. Those who know what I’m talking about know what I mean when I say that white gay men have no problem with society’s treatment of black men just as long they get to “dominate” or be “dominated” by one in the bedroom.
You might be able to be unclockable, but for several others, that is not the case. I didn’t say black and gay discrimination is the same. I said they are similar in that they are discriminated against and are fighting for equality.
The stupidest thing I ever read. “Hard to hide the fact that someone is black?” Try impossible. I don’t care if some gay men are so sugary that you can read them right away. The truth is that EVERYONE has the ability to present themselves in a way that they wish to come across. So if some super effeminate gay man truly wanted to come across as being the opposite of that, he has the option to alter his persona. Perhaps it wouldn’t be easy, but he could do it. No black person can change their skin color, it’s physically impossible. There is no closet or option of a closet when you’re black. You can change your s** before you can change your skin. So for your idiot ass to sit there and compare the two and then to ignorantly say that someone should keep their “blackness in private” is not only offensive, but also officially nominates you as being one of the dumbest people to ever live. Be quiet.
Someone cannot simply take on a new persona just like that. I quoted “private” as the post above suggest gays should do that in private. It just doesn’t work like that.
Everyone does not have the ability to present themselves the way they want to. If you are black, can you reasonably present yourself as white? I didn’t think so… In the case of gays, Not everyone can change their voice or how effeminate they are. It is dumb to even think of it like that.
It is about equality for all. Why should black civil rights be any more important than the rights of gay ppl? Both groups are discriminated against.
Black ppl cannot change their black heritage and neither can gays for the most part.
Have a seat on that chair you offered me earlier. Sit. Be quiet.
The show is not that good
I was not impressed by the season premiere. There was nothing to remember but the entrance that Cookie made at the season 2 premiere was everything.
This show is in need of coconuts for real
Good. A lot of what they present on this show is immoral and indecent. I don’t like the mixing of homosexuality with an all black cast. That’s a very manipulative way to con black folks into embracing the gay agenda.