The sixth season of music drama Empire will be its last, Fox announced Monday. “We are turning the final season into a television event,” Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier said, The Chicago Tribune reports. “One of the great benefits of announcing a final season... [is having] the fans lean in [to] have the finale they desire.” Collier said there are “no plans” to have actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of faking a hate crime against himself, return to the series for its final season. But he added: “The writers room for next season hasn’t even gathered yet.” Smollett was initially charged with filing a false report, but the charges were dropped in March. The actor has denied any wrongdoing. Smollett was dropped from the last two episodes of Empire’s Season 5, but Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television extended his option for Season 6, the Tribune reports.
