Fox is about to reconstruct an empire — the Lyon Family’s empire, that is.
After completing filming on Episode 9 of Season 4 on Tuesday, “Empire” will go into a production hiatus starting Wednesday. The break will last for a few weeks to allow the writers to regroup before filming begins on the season’s final nine episodes, sources close to the show tell TheWrap.
Co-creators and executive producers Danny Strong and Lee Daniels will both be stepping in to work with the writing staff on the remainder of the season, along with Imagine’s executive producers Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo.
The show is already scheduled for a hiatus from mid-December until March, so this pause in production is intended to give the writing team the ability to map out the back half of the season without affecting any planned broadcasting.
Sources close to the Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard-led drama told TheWrap the decision to break in production shows Imagine and Fox’s commitment to turning out a “strong” second half for Season 4. The series has seen previous production hiatuses since debuting in 2015.
“Empire” has continued its reign at Fox, averaging a 3.1 rating/12 share in the advertiser-coveted demographic and 10.5 million multi-platform viewers for Season 4. However, the show’s ratings have slipped significantly from its earlier seasons.