History Series / Empire

* PrecisionFStrike: After Hakeem is filmed making an ass of himself in a gourmet restaurant and ranting about UsefulNotes/BarackObama, Luscious quickly gets the President on the phone to try to defuse the situation, and Obama says ''something'' that causes Luscious to chide him for his choice of language.

* BadassGay: Jamal.

* BiTheWay: [[spoiler: Tiana.]]
* ButNotTooBlack: Anika, Lucious' new love, is from mixed parents and very fair skinned. Cookie mocks this relentlessly.
* CoolUncle: Bunkie was this to the Lyon sons.

* JacobAndEsau: Lucious favors Hakeem while treating Jamal as TheUnFavourite; when she gets out, Cookie starts trying to launch Jamal's career (partly to get back at Lucious). Despite this, Hakeem and Jamal seem to get along well with each other.

* LadyMacbeth: Andre's wife Rhonda is every bit as scheming as he is.

* SatelliteLoveInterest: Jamal's boyfriend Michael. He has the least amount of characterization out of all the Lyons' respective lovers.
* SecretlyDying: The premiere episode has Lucious diagnosed with the incurable Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and has thus started the series by trying to see which of his sons, namely Hakeem, will make a suitable heir.
* SingerSongwriter: Jamal writes his own songs.
* StraightGay: Jamal.

** Agent Carter stresses to Cookie that why grand jury proceedings are secret is to protect witnesses like her.

* TheUnFavourite: Jamal is this for Lucious due to the former's homosexuality.

* VillainProtagonist: Lucious is the central character of the show. He also physically and emotionally abuses his gay son, forced his first wife to take the fall for him after running drugs, beat up the manager of one of the Empire performers because he was getting on his nerves, and [[spoiler: kills his cousin in-law and best friend]] because he was getting greedy.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Bunkie.]]

* SatelliteLoveInterest: Jamal's boyfriend Michael. He has the least amount of characterization out of all the Lyons' respective lovers. We don't even know yet what he does for a living.
** In episode 6, he tells Cookie that he's in culinary school to become a chef, and she mocks this.

* MissingMom: Cookie was in prison for 17 years. Lucious couldn't bring himself to visit her, and eventually her sons stopped as well. When she returns, she's well aware that she's almost a stranger to them, and tries her hardest to reintegrate herself into their lives.

* AnimalMotifs: Naturally, Lions are often associated with the Lyon family. A few references have been made to [[Literature/TheBible Jacob in the Lion's Den]], and members of the family have been known to refer to themselves as Lyons in both ways.

* BadassGay: Jamal!

* BiTheWay: [[spoiler: Tiana]].

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Cookie believes in this trope.

* JacobAndEsau: Lucious favors Hakeem while treating Jamal as TheUnfavorite; when she gets out, Cookie starts trying to launch Jamal's career (partly to get back at Lucious). Despite this, Hakeem and Jamal seem to get along well with each other.

* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Bunkie.]]
* TruthInTelevision: Agent Carter stresses to Cookie that why grand jury proceedings are secret is to protect witnesses like her.
** [[spoiler: Frank Gathers killed a federal agent, which result in long-time imprisonment for such crime]]

* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Bunkie.]]

* JacobAndEsau: Lucious favors Hakeem while treating Jamal as TheUnfavorite; when she gets out, Cookie starts trying to launch Jamal's career (partly to get back at Lucious.) Despite this, Hakeem and Jamal seem to get along well with each other.

* AnimalMotifs: Lions are often associated with e Lyons family, naturally. A few references have been made to [[Literature/TheBible Jacob in the Lion's Den]], and members of the family have been known to refer to themselves as Lyons in both ways.

* ButNotTooBlack: Anika, Lucious' new love, is very fair skinned. Cookie mocks this relentlessly.

The show centres around a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the drama surrounding founder Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), and his three sons: business-minded and bipolar Andre (Trai Byers), who will do anything to depose his brothers and impress his wife Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday); musically passionate Jamal (Jussie Smollett), the black sheep of the family thanks to his homosexuality, and aspiring rapper Hakeem (Bryshere Grey), Lucious' favourite because he takes after him the most. Wait, did we say that Lucious was the founder? Turns out that's actually his ex-wife Cookie, who's just been released from prison after taking the fall for Lucious during their drug-running years and is hell-bent on reclaiming the company she believes is rightfully hers. Rounding out the cast is Vernon Turner (Malik Yoba), Lucious' business partner, and Anika Calhoun (Grace Gealey), Lucious' romantic partner.

On January 17 it was renewed for a second season after only two episodes aired.

* BadassDecay: Cookie has this opinion of Lucious in-universe.

* MissingMom: Cookie was in prison for 17 years. Lucious couldn't bring himself to visit her, and eventually her sons stopped as well. When she returns she's well aware that she's almost a stranger to them, and tries her hardest to reintegrate herself into their lives.

* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Bunkie!]]

The show centres around a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the drama surrounding founder Lucious Lyons (Terrence Howard), and his three sons: business-minded and bipolar Andre (Trai Byers), who will do anything to depose his brothers and impress his wife Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday); musically passionate Jamal (Jussie Smollett), the black sheep of the family thanks to his homosexuality, and aspiring rapper Hakeem (Bryshere Grey), Lucious' favourite because he takes after him the most. Wait, did we say that Lucious was the founder? Turns out that's actually his ex-wife Cookie, who's just been released from prison after taking the fall for Lucious during their drug-running years and is hell-bent on reclaiming the company she believes is rightfully hers. Rounding out the cast is Vernon Turner (Malik Yoba), Lucious' business partner, and Anika Calhoun (Grace Gealey), Lucious' romantic partner.

The show revolves around Lucious' life caving in after Cookie's release brings his past sins back to haunt him, as well as his diagnosis with ALS prompting him to determine which of his sons should inherit the company. The two parents begin pitting the children against each other in the hopes that their favourites will gain control, while Luscious tries to prevent Cookie from revealing the more sordid elements of his past to the public.

* ButNotTooBlack: Anika, Lucious' new love, looks almost white. Cookie mocks this relentlessly.

* ThereCanOnlyBeOne: Only one of the Lyons boys can inherit the company.

The show centres around a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the dramam surrounding founder Lucious Lyons (Terrence Howard), and his three sons: business-minded and bipolar Andre (Trai Byers), who will do anything to depose his brothers and impress his wife Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday); musically passionate Jamal (Jussie Smollett), the black sheep of the family thanks to his homosexuality, and aspiring rapper Hakeem (Bryshere Grey), Lucious' favourite because he takes after him the most. Wait, did we say that Lucious was the founder? Turns out that's actually his ex-wife Cookie, who's just been released from prison after taking the fall for Lucious during their drug-running years and is hell-bent on reclaiming the company she believes is rightfully hers. Rounding out the cast is Vernon Turner (Malik Yoba), Lucious' business partner, and Anika Calhoun (Grace Gealey), Lucious' romantic partner.

[[caption-width-right:531:From left to right: Andre, Cookie, Jamal, Hakeem. In the throne: Luscious.]]

-->--'''Luscious Lyons''', "Pilot"

The show centres around a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the dramam surrounding founder Luscious Lyons (Terrence Howard), and his three sons: business-minded and bipolar Andre (Trai Byers), who will do anything to depose his brothers and impress his wife Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday); musically passionate Jamal (Jussie Smollett), the black sheep of the family thanks to his homosexuality, and aspiring rapper Hakeem (Bryshere Grey), Luscious' favourite because he takes after him the most. Wait, did we say that Luscious was the founder? Turns out that's actually his ex-wife Cookie, who's just been released from prison after taking the fall for Luscious during their drug-running years and is hell-bent on reclaiming the company she believes is rightfully hers. Rounding out the cast is Vernon Turner (Malik Yoba), Luscious' business partner, and Anika Calhoun (Grace Gealey), Luscious' romantic partner.

The show revolves around Luscious' life caving in after Cookie's release brings his past sins back to haunt him, as well as his diagnosis with ALS prompting him to determine which of his sons should inherit the company. The two parents begin pitting the children against each other in the hopes that their favourites will gain control, while Luscious tries to prevent Cookie from revealing the more sordid elements of his past to the public.

* AbusiveParents: Flashbacks have indicated that Lucius proves to be both physically and emotional abusive to his children, especially Jamal.

* ButNotTooBlack: Anika, Luscious' new love, looks almost white. Cookie mocks this relentlessly.

* MissingMom: Cookie was in prison for 17 years. Luscious couldn't bring himself to visit her, and eventually her sons stopped as well. When she returns she's well aware that she's almost a stranger to them, and tries her hardest to reintegrate herself into their lives.
* SecretlyDying: The premiere episode has Lucius diagnosed with the incurable Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and has thus started the series by trying to see which of his sons, namely Hakeem, will make a suitable heir.

* VillainProtagonist: Luscious is the central character of the show. He also physically and emotionally abuses his gay son, forced his first wife to take the fall for him after running drugs, beat up the manager of one of the Empire performers because he was getting on his nerves, and [[spoiler: kills his cousin in-law and best friend]] because he was getting greedy.

'''Empire''' is an American musical drama television series which debuted on FOX on January 7, 2015.

'''Empire''' is an American musical drama television series which debuted on FOX on January 7, 2015. The show centers around a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Enterprises, and the drama among the members of the founders' family as they fight for control of the company. The hour-long family drama was created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, and stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.

* MalignedMixedMarriage: {{Averted}}. No one in the Lyon family has a problem with the interracial couple, ANdre and Rhonda being married.

'''Empire''' is an American musical drama television series which debuted on FOX on January 7, 2015. The show centers around a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Enterprises, and the drama among the members of the founders' family as they fight for control of the company. The hour-long family drama was created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, and stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.
----
!!!Tropes found in ''Empire'' are:
* AbusiveParents: Flashbacks have indicated that Lucius proves to be both physically and emotional abusive to his children, especially Jamal.
* BigScrewedUpFamily: On television, the Lyons seem like the perfect family. Then, they get off cameras and the dysfunction begins.
* FamilyBusiness: Music is a ''big'' thing for the Lyons.
* HonoraryUncle: Bunkie was this to the Lyon sons.
* {{Jerkass}}: The entire Lyon family, save Jamal, are first seen as this.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: {{Averted}}. No one in the Lyon family has a problem with the interracial couple, ANdre and Rhonda being married.
* SecretlyDying: The premiere episode has Lucius diagnosed with the incurable Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and has thus started the series by trying to see which of his sons, namely Hakeem, will make a suitable heir.
* SingerSongwriter: Jamal writes his own songs.