Leaderboard

I've watched EMPIRE from the beginning and find it very good escape entertainment. It is well produced, well cast and an authentic look at the cut-throat recording industry as it applies to the hip-hop world. The plot is a little implausible and clogged with stereotypes but, hey, this is network TV, not PBS. A series created by "The Butler" director Lee Daniels and scored byTimbaland can't be all bad. The story line even has a message and the family dynamics resonate with Shakespearean overtones. I consider myself, a discriminating TV watcher, and I give EMPIRE its props. It's like "GLEE", in its exploring of new territory with its effortless infusion of brief musical "videos" into the flow of the story. It also benefits from not taking itself too seriously. BTW, there is a world of difference between prime-time Fox TV programming and "Faux" News on Cable which is politcized like MSNBC and CNN. (The local Fox affiliate in Chicago is no worse or better than NBC, ABC, or CBS when it comes to the typical shows it airs, which include American Idol, The Simpsons, NFL games.)