'Empire' to end with season six

'Empire' to end with season six
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Los Angeles: Fox has announced that its hit musical drama series "Empire" will be concluding after the upcoming sixth season.

According to The Wrap, Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier on Monday said that the show's final season will be turned into a "television event".

"If you think about it, one of the great benefits of announcing a final season is that you actually allow the fans to lean in and have the ending they deserve, and that's everything we're trying to do with this iconic series," he added.

"Empire", featuring Taraji P Henson and Terrence Howard in the lead, is about a fictional hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment. The drama surrounding the enterprise follows a family fighting for control over it.

During its fifth season, the show had hit rough weather after actor Jussie Smollett, who plays a pivotal role in the series, claimed that he was the victim of an assault which he said was racially and politically motivated, as well as homophobic. 

He was, however, later accused by the police of staging the attack so as to save his character from getting axed from the show. The actor has denied any wrongdoing.

The controversy resulted in his character being written out of the show's final two episodes of season five.

Asked about the actor's return to the show, Collier said, "At this point, we have no plans for that." 

"Empire" was created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, who executive produce alongside Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, Sanaa Hamri, Dennis Hammer, Matt Pyken and Diane Ademu-John.