On a casting front the FOX series ‘Empire’ is fronted by two of Hollywood’s more respectable players, Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.
Unfortunately, it seems that not even their star power or Lee Daniels‘ Academy Award winning magic can stop the show’s descent on a ratings front.
Bad news for the series below…
The show’s second season has been rocked by complaints made by viewers which take aim at its storylines and the quality of the writing behind them.
If its show runners had ignored these grievances now would be good a time for them to sit up and pay attention. For, they have lost 1.3 million viewers…in seven days.
Last week’s episode picked up 11.3 million eyes marking a new low for its ratings since its Thanksgiving mid-season finale. Alas, this episode has now been robbed of its “title” because this week’s episode sunk even lower when it picked up 10 million viewers…its second lowest number to date.
The show averaged a 3.8 rating/12 share in adults 18-49 and 10.0 million viewers overall in the 9 o’clock hour, down about 10% from last week. While this demo score figures to be high enough to finish No. 1 for the week, this represented the show’s second lowest score to date (behind only a Thanksgiving eve episode that did a 3.2). One week after having the penultimate episode of “American Idol” as its lead-in, “Empire” last night more than tripled its lead-in from “Rosewood” (1.2/4 in 18-49, 4.4 million viewers overall), which was down 0.2 from its prior original (on the night of the “Empire” return).
Despite its dip, the series continues to fare much better than its highbrow ABC rival ‘How To Get Away With Murder’, but now seems unable to reach numbers it pulled in with ease during its first season in which its highest-rated airing pulled in 17.62 million viewers.
They need to stop fuucking around with the storyline and stop singing and stop all that gaay shiit
fyi this tv show is based on Lee Danials and his life, if you don’t like the fact there’s Gay storylines and its s** scenes in them then why are you still continuing watching the show if you knew what it’s about??, you sound like a homophobic asshole!!!
Because it’s getting Cornier and Cornier. There’s too much damn singing scenes and the plot is dry.
The singing isnt even all that
I don’t know what it is about Bryshere, but I’m starting to get attracted to him and I’m not sure why. It was really awkward and unsettling watching him take that little girl’s virginity, though.
Bryshere is the shining star of the show. It’s clear that the writers are more inspired by him than anyone else in the entire cast, even Taraji. As an actor, he’s aspirational. He reminds me of how Shemar Moore began on Y&R. Shemar was very, very green to start but he improved over the years to become the black lead over the other guy, even scoring an Emmy. Bryshere has improved leaps and bounds since the premiere and it doesn’t look like he’s going to drop the ball. He’s studying his craft and the results are paying dividends. Who cares about hearing Jamal bleating and Andre whining about Jesus?
He is looking séxier lately.
Ewwww nooo he has a nice body but he looks like somebodys butch auntie in the face.
This second half of season 2 is actually really good! The ratings drop isn’t going to stop Empire, it was expected as the show was miles higher in ratings than any other show on air and still is, Empire is a music show with a gay character who is one of the leeds so people complaining about that should go and watch something else! The constant weekly report on ratings drop of this show alone is a little bit manipulative I think and i’m a bit baffled as why Black run site appears to be trying to bring down a black show that has been brilliant for black people globally, Straight, Gay and Music! To lose a show like Empire which has been detrimental in breaking down cultural stereotypes, sexual orientations and at a time when black music is becoming extinct in the mainstream world be a profound lose, when one is blessed with a voice such as this site, would be worth thinking about using it to uplift and uprise, rather than add to the demise of urban culture.. Just a thought and said with love.
Please don’t. TGJ has to be unbiased and fair. They show love to a lot to all the black shows so there’s nothing sinister about their reporting. Empire is a poor show and we as black people have to demand more. Plus if you think Empire is a good representation of us you need to expand your horizons. Black people have to support each other but that doesn’t mean glorifying nonsense.
How can one uplift a show that doesn’t uplift itself? Blackish, Scandal and HTGAWM don’t have the same problem so I wonder what the difference is. I’ll tell you. Quality. TGJ is only reporting the truth.
Also Expecting black sites to overlook Empires problems is part of the reason it’s failing. It’s writers know how badly black viewers need black led shows and so have been complacent because it expects to be praised automatically whereas Scandal and How To are doing well because Shonda sets a higher standard for itself.
This is what happens you don’t respect your audiences’ intelligence. I feel like Fox has an assumption that black people are easily impressed so keep giving us these half baked storylines and this is the result.
@Bey Sting
U better say that!
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. I’m not gonna put up with one in order to have the other, which is why Empire never caused me to stop watching SVU for it.
The gay plot lines aren’t the problem because most shows nowadays have gay characters. The problem is the writing. Gay people are people too and deserve representation too.
I was done with this show when they had Taraji in a Gorilla suit in the season two premiere talking about Luscious’ life as a Black man matters. The writing was never superb but at least it was entertaining during its first season. Now, the storylines have become even more contrived.
This is what happens when fads are hyped up as much as Empire is/was. They die just as hard as they rise. I never drank the Kool-Aid and went out of my way to avoid that show from day 1. I never bothered to watch a single episode of it. Everything I’ve seen of that show was just commercials, previews or scenes I tried to not pay attention to I happened to be in a room with a TV that had it on. The presence of that show bothers me for several reasons…
It’s hilarious when some homophobic people attempt to blame the decreasing ratings on the gay characters. They never mention the fowl language, unmarried s**, murders, indecent exposure and etc., because those are things they themselves do, but homosexuality is easy to condemn, and they are saved and sanctified doing and accepting every other considered sin.
There are reason the bible speaks of being a hypocrite more than anything else and He hates them! Not gays, not whores, not murders but hypocrites because they are liers above all others.
Agreed 110%
Well if you say yourself that he’s homophobic , why would it be far fetched to say that a show’s ratings drop because of homophobic reasons ?? it happened so many times you must have noticed … it happened with “Empire”, it happened with “the new normal”, “Looking” , “How to get away with murder” , ” Mr Robot” , “T*** Wolf” , ect . these show push homosexuality rather than representing it . Shows like “modern family” ” torchwood” or “the L word” on the other hand are successful because they don’t push an agenda, they just represent LGBT people being who they are , there’s no trapping the straight viewers with gay s** scenes, each love making scenes in these shows are well done , and the viewer is brought to care for the characters and identify like them . I suspect that the people behind the shows I listed first ( the ones pushing an agenda) are the truly homophobic ones because they objectify gay people , turn them into a stereotype and they only exist throught their sexuality . But let me reassure you , the gay storyline is NOT the reason i didn’t watch this show ( i decided to boycott it even before it was annouced one of the characters would be gay) .I just don’t like shows where black people are only portrayed as gangsters , rappers and “h***”. pardon my language but that’s the reason why i don’t watch this mess . and of course when i realized it also pushed an agenda on people , I was glad that I boycotted it in the first place 🙂
This show doesnt promote anything that every other show on television is promoting….every last person I ask who isnt watching the show anymore says basically that the man on man stuff is “too much”
it bothers me too .
11.3 million is good, but yeah the storyline is not that exciting. From the whack ass Latino girl group to that gang trying to con Cookie. Speaking of Cookie, she’s not as feisty and as ghetto fabulous like in season 1.
The writing and story lines are pretty bad and the acting is forced. I still watch. lol I have hope that’ll get better and return to its former glory.
Actually, the show never got 17 million viewers LIVE per week ( except of the finale and premiere of Season 2) The Show is STILL puling 17 million viewers w/ L+7 just like it’s been doing. The audience is still there , some people have opted for delayed viewing. if you wanted this article to be accurate, you would have posted Empire’s FINAL rating and you would see that they are pulling 7.0 in demo and over 17 million.
Also, this is NOT a new low for the show. Their lowest rating to date is 9.3 million ( not including the Thanksgiving episode). AND int should be said that most ratings these day don’t even make it out the 1’s in the demo ( Scandal 1.6 HTGAWM 1.4) compared to Empire’s “Low rating” of 3.8 for one week. The show has consistently stayed in the 4.4- 4.8 rating point in the demo. The show is the #1 on TV. It’s fine. 😉
Just stop!!! Stop your lies. I’ve read this report on a few other sites so they’re all lying too? The show is trash and people are seeing past the hype.
Girl bye. The show is sliding and the response on Twitter when the show airs is the reason why. Nobody takes it seriously because it’s the biggest black show yet is written really badly and it puts people in a position where they have to criticise something they’re supposed to love. I don’t believe it has anything to do with the gay storylines because HTGAWM has gay scenes too. The issue is that the level of writing is low because the producers feel as though they are guaranteed to slay because of its first season ratings. How you can try to spin losing 1.3 million viewers between two episodes is beyond me
Show is flopping harder then Brandy
Know the difference between “Then” and “Than” before you post, Boo! Here is an example; “It looks like your education flopped harder “Than” empire’s ratings and Brandy!”
Nice catch let them haters Kno!
Alot came on the same time… Kobe farewell and Golden state game as well as the Miami Heat game
This is what happens when you create a show and pander it exclusively to women and gay men. Two of the most fickle, shallow, trend-following demographics. They blow things up quick, then quickly move on when it stops being new. If you want longevity, you don’t target a crowd who are only watching it for gif ideas for their Tumblr accounts.
Did someone say “fowl” language? ???
Well I have not had any time to watch. But this summer I plan to do a Binge watch.
It’s too many dayum twists & turns going on. Also in this last episode why did Jussie have to sing once again during an accapella rap cypher? So sick of hearing Jussie’s voice…sounds like a Goat getting r****!
Wish Tyler Perry would come and save this show.
The numbers are still huge though…
Empire is all that dont care who doesn’t like it trust alot do opinions well hey they stil getting paid i love the characters its real what portray goes on everyday none the less Wednesdays channel for Fox All Eyez on Empire
Empire is all that dont care who doesn’t like it trust alot do opinions well hey they still getting paid i love the characters its real what portray goes on everyday none the less Wednesdays channel 4 Fox All Eyez on Empire they q million viewer’s and fan so lights camera action ill be front row !!
There’s this tendency on this sight to place the importance on the number of viewers despite the fact that that’s not what the networks care about in terms of ratings.
The only thing that matters for networks and advertisers is the share (here it’s the 3.8 placing it as number one).
It’s especially odd since the quote you link to accurately places the importance on the share rather than the viewed too.
No one looks at the number of viewers and haven’t since pretty much the 1970s.
And all the homophobic commenters on here can fester and die. But they’re already leading pitiful lives so I shouldn’t wish them more ill.
Don’t nobody watch the show like That
Everyone that I know who has stopped watching the show has listed the gay storylines as the reason. As much as everyone wants to say that we have progressed, we really haven’t….especially in the black community… you all can disagree but the ratings are proving me right.