If 12 episodes for season one of Empire wasn't enough for you, worry not, the show has gotten a bigger pickup for its second year. Yesterday, FOX unveiled its fall 2015 schedule, revealing some big news about Empire season two in the process, including a new musical contributor and a handful of guest stars with the promise of many more to come.
Empire, which was a runaway success last year in the 9 p.m. Wednesday slot following episodes of the soon-to-be cancelled American Idol, will be returning to that timeslot, according to Variety. "We'd be crazy to move it," FOX chair Gary Newman said.
Though Empire began as a mid-season order for FOX with just 12 episodes in its inaugural year, it has gotten an additional order for season two, with nine seasons set to air in the fall with a cliffhanger ending. Nine new episodes will then begin in the spring, for a total order of 18 (which is still less than the standard 22-episode season order).
In addition to the episode order, FOX also revealed that there will be some new "authentic" music on board for season two, courtesy of Ne-Yo, who will be joining Timbaland as a songwriter.
Ne-Yo isn't the only new superstar on board for the next season of Empire. Last year, the show had everyone from Courtney Love to Rita Ora to Mary J Blige as guest stars, and season two already has three big stars in the lineup. According to NME, Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz and Chris Rock have already signed on for guest appearances with more people in the works.
