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10 Things To Know About "Empire" Season 2

Get all the details for the hit show's return on September 23.

Empire is back, Boo Boo Kitty.

The hottest show on television returns for Season Two on September 23, with even more celebrity guest stars. But will it be as intoxicatingly fun to watch as the first?

The short answer is "yes."

After viewing the first three episodes, I can tell you that everything you loved about the over-the-top urban soap is present and accounted for when we meet up with the Lyons again in this week's season premiere.

In the Season One finale, Lucious (Terrence Howard) was carted off to jail for killing Bunkie (which, hello, he actually DID), but not before handing over the keys to the Lyons Empire to his gay son, Jamal (Jussie Smollett). Lucious hasn't exactly been supportive of Jamal being an out and proud gay man, but let's hope him trusting him with the company is a sign that he's coming around.

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).

Here are ten things you need to know when we jump back into the world of Empire.


Jamal Is His Father’s Son

Now that Jamal is calling the shots at Empire, watch for him to take after Lucious. Cookie even says at one point, ‘You’re turning into your Daddy” and she ain’t wrong. But will she and the rest of the family succeed in taking back the family business from him? We’ll find out in the first episode.

Old Love Is New

Rafael de la Fuente promised us a new dynamic between Michael and Jamal, you’ll see it in the show's first hour—especially when Michael makes a judgment about Jamal’s reaction to a less-than-masculine man. (We’ll also learn why Jamal and Ryan are no longer together.)

Orange is the New Black, Indeed

Lucious comes up against guest stars Chris Rock and Ludicris behind bars, but he quickly shows that he hasn’t lost any power. A caged Lyon is the most ferocious of all, I guess.

Baby, Baby, Murder

While time will tell if Andre and the (allegedly) pregnant Rhonda will be caught for killing Vernon in the season finale, he continues to be the least interesting Lyon. Having his shirt off frequently helps a bit, however.

Brotherly Un-love

Watch Jamal and Hakeem's feud reach new heights, both in business and in their personal lives. On a side note: I don’t think any of us would complain about seeing a montage of Jamal working out like the one we get of Hakeem in Episode Two. (Just putting it out there, Lee Daniels.)

A Sapphic Empire

Marisa Tomei chews up the scenery in Season Two's first episode as Mimi Whiteman, a wealthy backer who gets her flirt on with Cookie. Let's hope she pops up frequently this season.

Lucious for PFLAG?

Sure, Lucious believed in Jamal enough to give him the family business but we still hear him easily spew homophobia at times, like when he sees (via TV in prison) Cookie cozying up to Mimi at a televised concert. (Spoiler: He doesn’t like it!)

Becky and Porsha

Having Gabourey Sidibe and Ta’Rhonda Jones makes any scene a whole lot better. I’d say give them more airtime but a little bit goes a long way with these two.

Guest Stars Aplenty

Besides Rock and Tomei, look for cameos by Miss Lawrence and Don Lemon, as well as Kelly Rowland playing Lucious’s mother in flashbacks and Magic Mike’s Adam Rodriguez romancing Cookie later in the season. Smollett performing with megastars like Pitbull is now the norm, with Mariah Carey popping up as well. But will so many stars make the show shine brighter or get muddled?

Cookie Is Everything

Taraji P. Henson didn’t win an Emmy (boo!) but proves that she’s still at the top of her game with more terrific one-liners and put-downs when Empire returns. And watch for Cookie and “Boo-Boo Kitty (a.k.a. Anika) to team up, at least at the start of the season.

Empire returns Wednesdays, September 23, at 8pm on Fox.

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