Empire: Can We Deal With A Cookie Spinoff?
The buzz around Black Hollywood is that Empire is set to give its first spinoff starring none other than Cookie Lyon. That shouldn’t come as a shock as Cookie is the only one who could possibly carry her own show. But still, it begs the question if fans are truly excited for an all-Cookie show?
Due to the Pandemic, Empire had to cut not only its season short but the final season at that. With news that the producers are still holding out hope for some sort of resolution such as a reshoot or even a movie, fans are left wondering what happened to the cast?
If Cookie’s name is attached to a spinoff, then it’s safe to say that she made it out alive. Please remember, we last saw images of Cookie getting into her car and it going up in flames. A spinoff means she lived but what about everyone else?
Let’s say that Lucious Lyon was never found in time after he was shot and he dies. Can there really be a Cookie show with no Lucious? Their relationship was rocky but it made Empire just a bit interesting. Cookie with another man was tried on the original show and each one was a train wreck to watch. There was absolutely no chemistry there. Removing Lucious entirely would be a waste, but then again, how would it be an all-Cookie show if Lucious is involved?
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Then there’s the matter of her sons. Cookie won’t win any Mom of the Year Awards but she has undying live for Jamal, Hakeem, and Andre. Now, they could make frequent quest appearances and still provide laughter but not having them there full-time could drive fans away.
Cookie is about the music so there’s a good chance that the spinoff would place her back in that position. In Season 6, she left Empire and went to Bossy Records with Becky and Giselle. Was that the early makings of the spinoff there that fans just didn’t see coming?
In a sense, Cookie can carry a show but we’ve grown accustomed to her and the family that it will all seem a bit weird to not have them present.
Seeing her take no prisoners approach was a breath of fresh air on TV. But if Empire decides to remove what made Cookie Lyon, Cookie in the first place, it may not work. Be careful with messing with a great character. Sometimes it works and sometimes it destroys the legacy built by the original.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
