Critic’s Corner: What’s on TV Wednesday

Just how ugly are we talking about, here? If Daniels, Strong, and showrunner Ilene Chaiken are feeling pressure to maintain the show’s massive-hit status, it doesn’t show in the enjoyably scattered yet propulsive season premiere. More of the same.

Yes. [Laughs.] It’s really great that so many incredible people are interested in being on the show. “I think there is going to be a spinoff from Empire without question”, Daniels says. How are we going to talk about it, and what do we want to explore that we haven’t explored?

Because “Empire” accomplished a almost impossible feat in its first season – growing its audience each week – the show is probably facing a bigger challenge against the sophomore slump than any show to date.

However, this opens up room for Empire to explore more of Cookie’s relationships with her other sons and her love life outside of Lucious, including with smooth-talking concert promoter Laz Delgado (Adam Rodriguez).

Season 2 began shooting in June and is expected to film in and around Chicago until April.

Meanwhile, Lucious’ other son Jamal (Jussie Smollett) is the new head of Empire and is working on his career and possibly getting the family back together.

He already bedded Camilla Marks (Naomi Campbell), who is old enough to be his mother. Ick.

But like any good soap, everyone under the sun is vying for the throne including-Jamal’s brothers, Hakeem (Bryshere “Yazz” Gray) and Andre (Trai Byers), and mom ( Taraji P. Henson).

The queen bee, played by Taraji P. Henson, made her mark in Season 1 with incredible shoe choices. But it’s clear that prison isn’t keeping a man like Lucious down, because he’s worked his way up the food chain and he’s in a position of power there. And, then, of course, there is the much talked about appearance by Mariah Carey, which is being kept under wraps. To which Cookie explains that she didn’t come all the way to prison “to play games with him”. The family, the family, the family is the most important thing. We jump ahead in time a little bit.

He’s a gifted musician and built his musical Empire. “The music is gonna get better and better”.

Yes, the producers and the cast are very engaged in social media, live tweeting the shows, but they don’t let the feedback that they get from fans change anything. There’s no qualifying the impact that it’s had on both the music industry and the African American community, but we also shouldn’t discount the fact that at its core, the first season was a highly entertaining, soapy drama. “We approach the guest cast as story, and we don’t jump through hoops to create something special for somebody”.

In the premiere episode, “Season 2 picks up three months after the arrest and incarceration of Lucious, who is trying to run Empire Entertainment from inside federal lockup”.