If you watched the NFL Playoffs on FOX, you saw promos for their new show Empire. This pretty much the last sports reference in this post. I give sports opinions every weekday 1-3, so here’s a chance to step outside that box. I’m fascinated by the success of Empire in its premier season. You can call it the Coach Harsin of network television dramas (see, another sports reference). 

There’s never been a show like this that’s worked on network television, especially at the level Empire has hit. The show increased its viewership each of the 1st five weeks. That just doesn’t happen for network television dramas. Not only that, but also the music featured in the episodes constantly place inside iTunes most downloaded songs. 

Out off all the shows and ideas, how does this one reach those kind of heights? The show was built for someone like me, a black 23 year old from a suburb of Philadelphia. Empire is about the family of a hip-hop tycoon that runs a record label, where everyone is trying to best position themselves for the future. It features a primarily black cast, and lots of hip-hop music. It’s something that I’d watch, but not exactly the formula for connecting to a mainstream audience. 

But, perhaps “mainstream” is changing. Taking a look at the top rated network shows, many of them feature black lead characters. Ever since the mid-90s, the African-American audience has generally been underserved. More of the population is diverse, which helps explain the higher numbers. However, you don’t pull these type of numbers serving just a niche.

No matter what the reason is, it’s nice to see television executives being rewarded for breaking the old mold, and trying something different.