Chicago-filmed “Empire” is coming to an end.
Fox announced on Monday, following the national controversy over Jussie Smollett’s future on the show that the show is coming to an end.
“We are turning the final season into a television event, we are trying to go out guns blazing,” Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier said, according to Deadline.
“You allow fans to lean in and have the ending they deserve,” he added.
Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox TV wrote Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon, out of the final two episodes of the show’s fifth season amid his legal battles and confirmed last month there were “no plans” for him to return.
Fox previously was open to keeping the actor on the show after he was charged with 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly making up a hate crime he said he experienced. When charges were dropped against the actor, Fox welcomed him back to the show. But when pressed Monday on whether Smollett would be making a return for the final season, Collier said, “At this point, we have no plans for that.”
He also noted “the writers’ room for next season hasn’t even gathered yet,” according to Variety.
The show will air on the Tuesday slot at 9 p.m. “Season Six promises to be filled with drama, shocking surprises and more jaw-dropping moments,” the network said in a release, according to The Wrap.
“The award-winning drama about a family dynasty set within the glamorous and sometimes dangerous world of hip-hop music has generated chart-topping hits, and socially relevant storylines introduced ‘Boo Boo Kitty’ into the zeitgeist and delivered over-the-top OMG moments weekly.
“Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) and Lucious (Terrence Howard), the two larger-than-life characters at the center of the series, have taken viewers through the highs and lows that come with fame and fortune. As the series enters its final season, one thing is for sure, the Lyons never go out without a bang,” according to the network.
In a shocking reversal, Chicago prosecutors dropped all charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett just weeks after he was indicted on 16 felony counts for allegedly filing a false police report.
After his court appearance, his attorneys released a statement saying that the actor’s “record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him.”
“Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgment,” the statement read.
“Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case, Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim, in this case, was the only just result.”
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