The enormous success of “Empire” is spawning another show that has a shot at being just as popular.
At this summer’s Television Critics Association meeting Thursday, Lee Daniels announced “Empire,” the musical drama he co-created with Danny Strong, will birth a spin-off.
“Without question,” he said. “There’s so much ripe story that we’ve talked about already, about Cookie’s family, what makes her her. That in itself is fascinating to me.”
The show’s executive producer, Brian Grazer, told The Associated Press that he’s up for another show based off the series’ characters, so long as the original doesn’t “get corny.”
“As long as it stays dangerous, we’re cool. As long as we can stay that way for this season, these guys can think about a spin-off, we’ll be OK,” Grazer said.
The second season, which begins Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. EDT, may be even more star-studded than the last. Guest stars include Pitbull, Chris Rock, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland and Marisa Tomei. Reportedly, Mariah Carey may also make an appearance.
Although there are some heavy-hitting celebrities on the upcoming season, the producers are serious about keeping the show’s focus on the main characters — the Lyon family.
“When you start a television show, you don’t really know what you’re doing, and so you think you’ll get your friends together and everything, and I find that the more celebrities, the more stars I put on this show, the more it takes away from the (Lyon) family. The family, the family, the family is the most important thing,” Daniels said.
