Empire: Season 4
Season 4 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Empire Season 3.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
Noble Memory
Sep 27, 2017
In celebration of Empire's 20th Anniversary, Lucious makes his first public appearance since the explosion in Las Vegas, but still has no memory of his family, Empire or his life b
Full Circle
Oct 4, 2017
With Leah still insisting that he is a monster, Lucious sneaks away in hopes of finding out what type of person he was before the explosion. Cookie panics that Lucious has gone mis
Evil Manners
Oct 11, 2017
When Cookie is denied a line of credit, she flashes back to her years in prison and compares her past struggles to her life now. Lucious continues to struggle with demons of his ow
Bleeding War
Oct 18, 2017
The race is on when Cookie announces that the number one album for Empire's 20-For-20 will be a competition between all of the label's top artists, giving Jamal a bold idea for his
The Fool
Nov 8, 2017
When the secret about Lucious' memory is exposed, Cookie attempts to convince the board that he is fine by inviting the press to watch him produce the first 20 for 20 album. Eddie
Fortune Be Not Crost
Nov 15, 2017
The Lyon family stands together as Anika and Hakeem begin a custody battle for Bella. Although they're confident in Hakeem's ability as a father, no one is prepared for the revelat
The Lady Doth Protest
Nov 29, 2017
Production comes to a halt on Empire's 20-For-20 when Calvin and Portia, feeling overworked by their new producer, Eddie Barker, call for a strike, leaving Cookie to find a solutio
Cupid Painted Blind
Dec 6, 2017
Cookie and Lucious take matters into their own hands as they watch Diana DuBois' master scheme unfold. Meanwhile, Andre begins to spiral out of control, wondering what she could ha
Slave to Memory
Dec 13, 2017
Cookie and Lucious devise an elaborate plan to take down Diana Dubois and her family once and for all. Andre recovers from his mental breakdown in the hospital, Shine tries despera
Birds in the Cage
Mar 28, 2018
Nurse Claudia takes her job to a new level, when she kidnaps Lucious. To find him, Cookie must race against time and use the skills she learned in prison to rescue him. Meanwhile,
Without Apology
Apr 4, 2018
On the brink of a lucrative tech deal, Eddie realizes that he must work on rebranding Empire. Cookie springs into action when a girl group from the past re-unites and threatens to
Sweet Sorrow
Apr 11, 2018
A Lyon health scare shakes up Empire, as Cookie holds down the fort, in spite of it all. Both Andre and Jamal try to right their wrongs, and Jamal makes a shocking revelation on li
Of Hardiness is Mother
Apr 18, 2018
Although Lucious pressures Cookie to take it easy, she can't help but take matters into her own hands when she receives unsettling news about an old friend. Meanwhile, Tiana's new
False Face
Apr 25, 2018
Lucious and Thirsty try to squash Eddie's takeover by confronting him with legal papers. Cookie recalls her complex relationship with her mother, while she continues her search for
A Lean and Hungry Look
May 2, 2018
As Eddie fights for his place at Empire Entertainment and gets the board on his side, Lucious and Shine must find a permanent solution to keep him out. Meanwhile, Cookie is despera
Fair Terms
May 9, 2018
When Cookie finally visits her mother, the two must confront their complicated past. Meanwhile, Lucious and Eddie continue their fight over Empire and Eddie makes a power play at t
Bloody Noses and Crack'd Crowns
May 16, 2018
Cookie and Lucious fight to keep Empire in the family, as they prepare a livestream concert to crowdfund the amount needed to trump Eddie's plans. Meanwhile, the success of Jamal's
The Empire Unpossess'd
May 23, 2018
As the Empire ownership bid presentation nears, Lucious must make a difficult decision to save the future of the company and his family, while Eddie shows no signs of backing down.