Empire (2015)
ABC | FOX | Release Date: January 7, 2015
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 62 Critic Reviews
Positive:
49
Mixed:
12
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Chicago TribuneSteve JohnsonJan 7, 2015
Season 1 Review: At least at the outset, there's more than just a lot of potential. There's a lot of everything.... Parental beatdowns! Sibling rivalry! Drug money! Terminal illness! Blackmail! Betrayal! Gold chains! It's all so much, so soon. Read full review
60
Washington PostHank StueverJan 6, 2015
Season 1 Review: Timbaland produces the original songs that give Empire its real oomph, while the actors try to figure out what kind of characters they’ve agreed to play. Read full review
60
Sioux City JournalBruce MillerJan 4, 2015
Season 1 Review: While parts of this are too broad, it’s crafted in such a way it can’t be ignored. Just when you think you’re ready to move away, Henson pulls you back in and Empire becomes the new song you can’t get out of your head. Read full review
50
Las Vegas WeeklyJosh BellJan 8, 2015
Season 1 Review: Having a prominent gay character on a hip-hop drama is still a step in the right direction, though, and Empire’s characters might develop greater nuance as the show progresses. For now, it’s a trashy soap with one entertaining performance. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Matt Zoller SeitzJan 7, 2015
Season 1 Review: The script and direction could both use a jolt of crazy energy of the sort that made Precious so thrilling (or, if you didn’t like it, unbearable). Read full review
50
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanJan 7, 2015
Season 1 Review: Empire is being marketed as a bold, original show from high-profile artists, but it feels strangely tentative in its first episode. Read full review
50
NewsdayVerne GayJan 7, 2015
Season 1 Review: It's as if Empire had too many antecedents, and--failing to decide upon one--embraced them all. The result is an interesting idea that can't quite figure out what that idea actually is--or where it should go from here. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeSarah RodmanJan 6, 2015
Season 1 Review: Fox’s wildly uneven, but potentially addictive new nighttime soap, Empire, feels like an anachronism. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian LowryJan 6, 2015
Season 1 Review: For now, Empire feels more like an opening act than a marquee player, one that will need--even more than a good lead-in--luck and time to find its groove. Read full review
50
The Lincoln Journal StarJeff KorbelikJan 4, 2015
Season 1 Review: Give me a little more music and a little less soap opera, and we may have something here. Read full review
40
ColliderChris CabinSep 20, 2016
Season 3 Review: Everything that happens in Empire feels automatically flippant and unimportant, even as the cast continues to do engaging, emotional work in each episode. At this point, Empire seems to be continuing on for no other reason other than it can. Read full review
40
The Salt Lake TribuneScott D. PierceSep 25, 2015
Season 2 Review: Empire is back for Season 2, and it's just as good as it was in Season 1. So ... it's not particularly good at all. Just because it's a soap opera doesn't excuse bad writing. And 13 episodes into Empire, the plots are already repetitive and--quite frankly--boring. Read full review
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