What is it? Empire, Season 1, 12 episodes on three Blu-ray discs or four DVDs from 20th Century Fox
When? Now
How much? $39.98 (DVD), $49.99 (Blu-ray)
What sort of empire? Hip-hop. Music. Entertainment. It's big business. And Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is the king.
He grew up on the streets, dealing drugs before he was 10 years old, but a love of and talent for music coupled with a superhuman drive catapulted him and his company, Empire Entertainment, to the top. The multimillion-dollar corporation is about to become a publicly traded company, a major triumph.
But then he's hit with a double whammy of bad news.
He's diagnosed with ALS. So, he's going to have to start grooming someone to take his place. But who will it be?
Oldest son Andre (Trai Byers), a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, seems like the obvious choice. But he's also bipolar and there are questions about his stability. Still, he and his driven, fellow business school-graduate wife, Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday), are determined to get him to the top by whatever means necessary.
Jamal (Jussie Smollett) is stable and dependable, but he's more interested in music than business. There's a definite coolness between him and Lucious because Lucious has never been able to accept that Jamal is gay.
Spoiled youngest Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) is also musically inclined, but he's drawn to the money, power and fame that come with success, not the work required.
Lucious immediately sets to work pitting his children against each other. He's that kind of person.
But then there's bad news Part 2: ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson). Empire was founded on her drug money and to protect the company, her husband and her children's future, she took the fall for a drug rap and spent 17 years in prison. Just as Lucious is planning to make his big decisions and big announcements, Cookie is unexpectedly released. Tough, sharp and determined, she has her own thoughts about her children's legacy and how the company she helped create should be run.
Their relationship is complicated, even without adding Lucious' fiancee, Anika (Grace Gealey), into the mix.
What follows is a roundelay of sexual and romantic partners, backstabbing, scheming and various felonies, up to and including murder.
What's it like? King Lear mixed with Greek tragedy wrapped up in a deliciously trashy, chaotic prime-time soap opera with lots and lots of hip-hop music. Just about every character on the show has a scheming dark side and hidden motives.
The Lyon family is devoted but in a twisted sort of way. Lucious is the kind of father who eats his young, and the three sons don't stand much chance of holding onto whatever brotherly feelings they have left.
And then there's Cookie. She's a force of nature and a hot-headed, fierce, protective mother. But she'll also beat her grown child with a broom handle when he's disrespectful. She's not afraid to speak her mind and does so with abandon. She's terrifying, fabulous and utterly fascinating to watch.
Are there extras? On the Blu-ray set I reviewed, the bonus features were extended music performances, music videos and a commentary track for the show's pilot episode. There are also two relatively brief (less than 10 minutes) featurettes, one on the role of music in the series and one on the show's characters and style.
New this week: The 100, Season 2; Bates Motel, Season 3; The Bionic Woman, Complete Series; The Civil War, 25th Commemorative Edition; Dexter, Complete Series; The Following, Season 3 and Complete Series; Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, Season 1; Good Witch, Season 1; Heroes, Complete Series; Justified, Complete Series; Mad Men, Complete Series; Mom, Season 2; The Saint, Seasons 1-2; The Six Million Dollar Man, Complete Series.
Next week: The Curse of Oak Island, Season 2; The Facts of Life, Season 7; Hotel, Complete Collection; King of the Hill, Season 13; My Favorite Martian, Complete Series; Nurse Jackie, Season 7.
Style on 10/11/2015