“Empire” was such a monster hit when it ended its first season on March 18, 2015 , 17.6 million people tuned in for the big cliffhanger. The show had debuted on January 7, 2015.

Five years and six seasons later, “Empire” ended last night with just 2.94 million fans still interested in the fate of the Lyons family.

“Empire” was a rocket with no engine. The Lee Daniels soap opera about the Lyons and their Empire Records company didn’t pace itself. It burned through guest stars and crazy plots at a dizzying speed. They never teased anything, or spaced out a story. They just blew through everything and everyone without looking back.

Starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, “Empire” had three strong seasons, a tepid fourth season. By the 5th season interest was already waning when cast member Jussie Smollett got involved in a scandal in Chicago. He said he’d been mugged in a racial and sex-centered hate attack. But when his story proved unfounded, headlines pounded away. Smollett was fired from the show, but the damage was done. “Empire” quickly crumbled.

It didn’t help that the sixth and last season was foreshortened by coronavirus. Production shut down before the actual final episode could be filmed. Last night’s show, which was likely its last, wasn’t what the producers wanted. But by the time it was over, a reasonable ending was capped onto the last episode filmed. They could come back. But would anyone care?

My guess is, “Empire” returns in five years with new actors and characters a la “Will and Grace.” It’s time to let nostalgia set in.

PS As I wrote in the previous item about Prince’s tribute on CBS, it wasn’t nice of the Tiffany network to schedule that show against “Empire.” You know their thinking– black, music, etc–so let’s try and steal that audience. “Empire” may pick up a few more points from delayed viewing.

READ THIS: https://www.showbiz411.com/2019/11/26/exclusive-whitney-houston-biopic-will-be-written-by-anthony-mccarten-of-bohemian-rhapsody-fame-and-the-two-popes

Netflix is releasing some viewing numbers aka ratings.

Their number one show was not “Tiger King,” despite so much publicity that it choked the public and clawed at our reason.

No, it was Mark Wahlberg’s “Spenser Confidential,” based on the work of the late great Robert Parker, that was most popular. “Spenser” scored 85 million views.

“Tiger King,” a seven part series about America’s under-under belly, was far behind with 64 million.

“Love is Blind” came in third with 30 million.

Netflix counts a household as having viewed a title if it was watched for at least two minutes. Regular TV has a different formula measured by Nielsen.

Netflix added a net 15.77 million paid streaming customers in the first quarter of 2020 thanks everyone being housebound.

The streamer said it had 182.9 million paid subscribers globally as of the end of Q1, up 22.8% from a year earlier. The company had originally told investors it expected to add 7.0 million subs in the quarter, but that was before COVID-19 kept millions of people on their couches.

“[O]ur membership growth has temporarily accelerated due to home confinement,” Netflix said in its quarterly shareholder letter. “Some cash spending on content will be delayed, improving our free cash flow, and some title releases will be delayed, typically by a quarter.”