Empire (2015-2019)

The hip-hop drama Empire follows the Lyon family as they make their accession up the ladder of recording industry fame. But their rise isn’t without its bumps and bruises, and the fall down from a top the ladder can be brutal. Lucious (Terrence Howard) is a self-made alpha male that has fought his way to becoming a music mogul, but there’s one fight he’s bound to lose—on the pilot episode he learns that he has a terminal illness. Motivated by his fleeting time on the planet, he must decide which of his three sons will inherent his empire. There’s Andre (Trai Byers), the eldest son who has a business degree from an Ivy League school, and his two younger sons Jamal (Jussie Smollett) and Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray), musicians and bi-polar opposites of each other. Let’s not forget about ol’ mom, Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), who’s just getting released from prison after taking the fall for her hubby’s felonious decisions-- she’s definitely going to have her say concerning which son gets to nod.

While Andre has the brains, Jamal and Hakeem have the musical talent, which the eldest Lyon son thinks will give them the advantage in taking over pop’s business. Let the scheming begin! On season one, episode eleven, Jussie Smollett and Eka Darville lose their shirts and get tied up in a steamy make-out. Not sure ol’ daddy will approve of this!