Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Empire: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

'Empire': Builder.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 16, 2015

If nothing else, Empire has proven that there can still be viewing phenomena which sweep the nation almost like a virus. Without a lot of fanfare, this show premiered to rather staggering numbers (for broadcast television, anyway) in January 2015 and then did the virtually unheard of, building that viewership population repeatedly over the next several weeks until the show ended its first season in March with almost twice the number of fans as it began with. I’ve joked repeatedly about that old Presley greatest hits compilation album whose title stated 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong by asking the simple rejoinder “Why?”, and something similar may strike some curmudgeons with regard to Empire, for as sleek and well produced and even viscerally exciting as the show is, it’s also undeniably a throwback to prime time soaps of yore like Dallas and/or Dynasty, with impossibly rich and glamorous families battling through various dysfunctions in an overtly florid manner. Sure, Empire gussies it all up with a setting in the world of hip hop, something that allows the show to appeal to “music drama” geeks who might be jonesin’ for something new now that Glee’s club isn’t meeting weekly anymore. The series also takes a page from (as odd as this may sound) Sons of Anarchy, or perhaps more appropriately, a page from The Bard, reinventing certain plot tropes of Shakespeare in an updated, modern setting. In this case, instead of Hamlet transported to motorcycle gangs in Charming, California, Empire offers up a “new, improved” version of King Lear, with a machinating paterfamilias attempting to divvy up his, well, empire to his offspring, in this case three sons (as opposed to Lear’s daughters). The result is often completely over the top histrionics, with a melodramatic fervor that may end up annoying some who aren’t able to simply give in to the show’s hyperbolic tendencies. For those who are willing to cut Empire a little slack, the show provides a lot of interesting content, even if its depiction of the recording industry (or at least one corner of it) is highly fanciful.

Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is an ex-drug dealer who hit the big time on the charts several years previously and who went on to create Empire Entertainment, now one of the leading purveyors of hip hop and so-called “urban” oriented music. Lucious is at the top of his game, though his recent diagnosis of having ALS (otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) means his days are literally numbered, and he needs to start thinking about what’s going to happen to his company once he’s no longer able to manage it. Lucious has three very different sons that could potentially be groomed for the job of new head honcho. His eldest, Andre (Trai Byers), would seem to be the perfect choice, since he has a business degree (from Ivy League Wharton, no less) and is a button down, no nonsense executive type already. But Andre also suffers from his own debilitating condition and Lucious wonders if a celebrity might be a better “mascot” to head Empire.

In that regard, Lucious’ two younger sons might be a better fit for what Lucious in envisioning. Middle son Jamal (Jussie Smollett) is a fantastically gifted musician but has the unfortunate (to Lucious’ way of seeing things) “problem” of being gay. Youngest son Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) works with Jamal but has already established himself as a young hip hop star on the rise, something that piques his dad’s interest in terms of positioning Empire as a force to be reckoned with going forward. Instead of establishing a collegial atmosphere among the siblings, Lucious more or less decides to pit them against each other in a Darwinian experiment to see who comes out on top. Meanwhile, more scheming is brewing courtesy of Andre and his duplicitous wife Rhonda (Kaitlyn Doubleday), who attempt to pit Jamal and Hakeem against each other so that Andre can prevail. And even more scheming shows up in the form of Cookie (Emmy nominated Taraji P. Henson), Lucious’ forceful ex-wife, whose release from prison after nearly two decades throws the entire family into turmoil.

That is only the beginning of the convoluted family dynamic that unfolds over the ensuing episodes, but also thrown into the mix is a subplot where Lucious gives a whole new meaning to “number one with a bullet”, and various intramural feuds with other producers offer a kind of “ripped from the headlines” aspect that’s lurid but effective. The principal performers are all extremely compelling, but there’s a bit of stunt casting going on with regard to guest and/or secondary characters, with choices like Courtney Love as a has been in need of a career resurgence seemingly ripped from the headlines in a whole other way and therefore potentially feeling like folks are being exploited. No one said the music industry was easy.

Empire: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Empire: The Complete First Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a sharp and very well detailed presentation though perhaps surprisingly the palette is often unexpectedly tamped down and even drab looking at times, something that may seem counterintuitive to a show exploiting the bling filled lifestyle of the rich and famous. Lucious' recording studio, for example, is a wash of different brown tones, with detail succumbing to minimal shadow detail and occasional slight murk in some sequences. The series has a tendency to exploit various visual bells and whistles for other sequences, including flashbacks that have been variously color graded or tweaked to differentiate them from the bulk of the contemporary sequences (see screenshot 4). Even some of the contemporary sequences feature elements like pushed highlights that bloom intentionally, another choice that adds some variety but tends to mitigate detail. In normal lighting situations and without the addition of overt grading choices, the palette looks natural if at times not especially vivid.

Empire: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As should probably be expected for a show focusing on hip hop, R&B and other rhythmically acute music, Empire: The Complete First Season's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track springs to really forceful life during the performance and/or recording sequences. Surround activity is impressive in these moments, as is the often very forceful low end. Some of the cityscape environments also offer more discrete placement of ambient environmental sounds. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented and well prioritized. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range very wide for episodic television dramas.

Empire: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One:

• Uncut Music Performances (1080p; 14:13) include "Good Enough", "No Apologies", "Tell the Truth" and "Keep It Movin'".


• Commentary on "Pilot" by Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Ilene Chaikin and Brian Grazer.

Disc Two:

• Uncut Music Performances (1080p; 10:14) include "Drip Drop" [Dirty], "I Wanna Love You", "You're So Beautiful" and "You're So Beautiful" (Ensemble Version).

Disc Three:

• Uncut Music Performances (1080p; 9:13) include "Nothing to Lose", "For My God", and "Whatever Makes You Happy".


• "What Is Love" Video (1080p; 2:54)


• "Power of the Empire" Video (1080p; 2:21)


• "Come Away With Me" Video (1080p; 2:46)


• Empire: It's in the Music (1080p; 9:17) isn't actually focused on the score for the series, but more the general premise and its execution.


• The Empire of Style (1080p; 8:26) looks at the series' distinctive design aesthetic.

Note: All of the uncut music performances feature only lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.

Empire: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For those who were around during the era of JR and/or Blake Carrington, a lot of Empire's roiling family dysfunctions within a rich and famous ambience are going to seem like old hat. Some curmudgeons are probably already wondering if there is a "catfight" between Taraji P. Henson and Grace Gealey (as Luscious' fiancée) coming down the pike. Other cynics may also wonder if the outré hairstyles and over the top fashion choices various characters sport are going to look as dated in a couple of years as Dynasty's big shoulder pads do to us now. All of that said, Empire still delivers on an enjoyable if undemanding level virtually all of the time in its first season, slowly building intrigue between the Lyon family while also providing chances for some winning musical performances. Technical merits are generally strong and Empire: The Complete First Season comes Recommended.