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TV This Week

For Fox, hoping ‘Empire’ strikes back

The No. 1 scripted drama saw ratings declines at the end of last fall

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

March 30, 2016

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It’s a little nitpicky to harp on ratings declines for a show that’s dominating everything else on broadcast.

But “Empire” did see ratings tail off during the first half of its second season, which aired last fall. With the show returning for the second half of the season tonight at 9 p.m., Fox is hoping it can recoup some of those declines.

“Empire” has averaged a 4.8 adults 18-49 rating this season, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day numbers, down 6 percent from its outstanding first season.

But it also dropped from a 6.7 for its second-season premiere to a 4.5 for its final first-half episode in December. That’s quite a loss, and DVR viewership didn’t make up for the decrease.

There was quite a bit of criticism of the show creatively last fall. Viewers complained he writing wasn’t as sharp, some complained, or the storylines were too focused on the gay son, a controversial character.

Still, “Empire” remains the No. 1 scripted show on broadcast, a full point ahead of No. 2 “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS. While media buyers are interested to see if its ratings will pep up, they also acknowledge “Empire” is the biggest non-sports thing on broadcast.

And it’s sure to salve Fox’s ailing lineup, which has struggled since “The X-Files” wrapped up its limited run last month.

“Empire’s” lead-in, “Rosewood,” has fallen to series lows without “Empire,” and the network would be thrilled to see that show’s ratings revived as well tonight.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 a.m.	Hulu	“The Path” (D)	Series premiere. Hulu’s first hour-long drama, starring “Braking Bad” actor Aaron Paul.
9 p.m.	Fox	“Empire” (D)	In the spring premiere, Lucious decides he’ll stop at nothing to regain his power.
9 p.m.	Discovery Channel	‘Bering Sea Gold” (R)	Season premiere. The fleet uses new technology to help them find new opportunities.
10 p.m.	TV Land	“Lopez” (C)	Series premiere. New comedy in which George Lopez plays a version of himself.
10 p.m.	ViceLand	“States of Undress” (N)	Series premiere. First episode of this new series takes a look at Pakistan.
10 p.m.	Oxygen	“Quit Your Day Job” (R)	Series premiere. New reality series set in the world of entrepreneurship.
THURSDAY, MARCH 31
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	NBC	“You, Me and the Apocalypse” (C)	Season finale. The race for the bunker intensifies as the comet approaches.
8:30 p.m.	CBS	“Life in Pieces” (C)	Season finale. Greg quits his job so he can focus on his own invention.
9 p.m.	CNN	“The Eighties” (N)	Series premiere. First episode of the documentary series looks at TV trends from the ’80s.
10 p.m.	FX	“Archer” (C)	Season premiere. Archer attempts to help a Hollywood actress restore her reputation.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Rush Hour” (D)	Series premiere. New dramedy based on the Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker movies.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Shades of Blue” (D)	Season finale. Harlee tries to wheel and deal with Stahl.
FRIDAY, APRIL 1
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 a.m.	Netflix	“The Ranch” (C)	Series premiere. Sitcom starring Ashton Kutcher, Elisha Cuthbert, Debra Winger, Sam Elliott, and Danny Masterson.
8 p.m.	Syfy	“Dead 7” (M)	Campy zombie Western starring members of ’90s boy bands.
9 p.m.	WE tv	“Kendra on Top” (R)	Season premiere. Kendra hears a rumor that her mother is preparing a tell-all book.
9 p.m.	OWN	“Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse” (C)	Season premiere. Richard tries to fix his touchy temper.
10 p.m.	USA	“Motive” (D)	Season premiere. Angie returns to the homicide unit for a case involving Vega’s father.
10 p.m.	Cinemax	“Banshee” (D)	Season premiere. Two years later, Lucas returns to Banshee and hunts a serial killer.
SATURDAY, APRIL 2
Time	Network	Program	Description
12:30 p.m.	NBC	“Premier League Soccer” (S)	Liverpool hosts title hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur.
6 p.m.	TBS	“College Basketball” (S)	The first of two Final Four games from Houston.
8 p.m.	Animal Planet	“My Cat From Hell” (R)	Season premiere. Stories include cats that endanger young kids.
9 p.m.	Hallmark Channel	“All Yours” (M)	A single mother hires a friend to help take care of her kids.
9 p.m.	Reelz	“Autopsy: The Last Hours Of …” (N)	Examining the case of former “Soul Train” host Don Cornelius.
9 p.m.	NBC	“Figure Skating” (S)	Live coverage of the ladies free skate from the World Championships in Boston.
SUNDAY, APRIL 3
Time	Network	Program	Description
10:30 a.m.	NBCSN	“Formula One Racing” (S)	Live coverage of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
8 p.m.	CBS	“Academy of Country Music Awards” (A)	The 51st annual event, hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley.
8 p.m.	TBS, TNT, truTV	“iHeart Radio Music Awards” (A)	Performers include pop stars Justin Bieber and Meghan Trainor.
9 p.m.	AMC	“The Walking Dead” (D)	Season finale. In a 90-minute episode, the group heads outside the walls for a rescue attempt.
9 p.m.	National Geographic Channel	“The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” (N)	Series premiere. Freeman takes a look at various aspects of religion, beginning with the afterlife.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Hollywood Game Night” (G)	Season finale. Contestants include Raven Symone, Julia Stiles and Natalie Morales.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.