Five Reasons Why Fox’s Empire Has Become a Breakout Hit

Empire most certainly wasn’t built in a day, but its reputation as a breakout hit has been made in virtually no time at all. Since the series debuted six weeks ago, every episode has drawn more viewers than the one before it. Buoyed by positive reviews and especially word of mouth, its ratings trajectory is quite simply bonkers, making the Fox midseason replacement a genuine cultural phenomenon.

For those who haven’t yet caught up with the hip-hop soap, Empire is the brainchild of director Lee Daniels (The Butler, Precious) and screenwriter Danny Strong (The Butler, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Parts 1 and 2). Equally inspired by King Lear and Dynasty, it centers on the mighty but shattered Lyon family, headed by rapper turned music mogul Lucious (Terrence Howard). Recently diagnosed with ALS and anxious about his legacy, Lucious makes a horrendous decision: to make his three sons compete for the throne atop Empire Enterprises, the family business. Also demanding a say in its direction is Lucious’s ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), newly released from prison after seventeen years after taking the fall for the couple’s drug deals.

Empire benefits from tight, fast plotting and an adequate-to-near-brilliant cast. It certainly doesn’t hide its ambitions; just in the first six episodes, it’s proven itself an expansive family melodrama, a cynical showbiz tale, a kind of reverse murder-mystery (with Lucious trying to figure out how to cover up his killing of a close associate), and an evocative musical, with superstar producer Timbaland and his team crafting original songs for each episode.

And yet what’s probably fueling Empire‘s mega-success is its appeal to underserved audiences and its explorations of underexplored themes. Here are five reasons why Daniels and Strong’s series has become a Wednesday-night (or DVR) staple.

1. Diversity is a boon to ratings.

African-American viewers have been behind three of the biggest success stories of the 2014–2015 season: Empire, Black-ish (ABC), and the Viola Davis–led How to Get Away With Murder (ABC). New episodes of Scandal, starring Kerry Washington, remain a top-ten performer in the Nielsens. Of these shows, Empire is most popular with black audiences, who constitute a whopping 61 percent of Empire‘s viewership. (A recent episode was seen by one-third of all African-American households.) Given the relative lack of black protagonists and casts on most networks, it’s hardly surprising that viewers of color are flocking to the rare show marketed to them.

2. The recognition of hip-hop as a vital cultural force.

Hip-hop is arguably the most creatively exciting (and politically vexed) musical genre today, but it’s rarely given its due by the larger culture. (There are