The series premiere of Empire, the buzzy hip-hop drama from Lee Daniels and Danny Strong starring Terence Howard and Taraji P. Henson —slay, Cookie!—had 9.8 million viewers and a 3.7 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic. The show lost some of American Idol’s audience, but it built on Idol’s demo rating, an impressive feat. American Idol returned for season 14 with 10.9 million viewers, down from 15ish million it had in its season 13 premiere. Idol was up from the season 13 finale, which tumbled to 10.5 million and a 2.6 rating. Empire even outpaced Modern Family in the 18-49 demographic. The veteran comedy grabbed a 3.2 rating.
