Empire
Stronger Than My Rival
TV Flash files “Stronger Than My Rival” as hour 89 of 102 in the TV Flash guide — Empire (2015–2020) on Fox, season 6, episode 5, aired 2019-11-05, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S06E05: listed hour 89 of 102 in the Empire guide, hour 5 of 18 in season 6. It aired 2019-11-05 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Tell the Truth” (S06E04). Next is “Heart of Stone” (S06E06).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Lucious, still obsessed with his past, tries to make amends for his wrongdoings with an old friend. Cookie vies to take control of the house, putting the whole family in the middle. Andre and Lucious go head-to-head in a competition to figure out the direction Empire should be heading in. Meanwhile, Becky and Giselle are at odds over the future of Bossy music.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Stronger Than My Rival sit in the Empire guide?
S06E05 is listed hour 89 of 102 — hour 5 of 18 in season 6, season 6 episode 5.
When did Empire S06E05 air?
Stronger Than My Rival aired 2019-11-05 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Do I watch for the plot or the songs?
Both: songs are plot, soundtrack strategy hit the charts on purpose. Dynasty soap with a trap beat, not a jukebox parked next to the story.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Lee Daniels and Danny Strong built a hip-hop dynasty soap that actually moved the ratings needle: Lucious's crown fight, Cookie Lyon's entrance as event television, songs that were plot not wallpaper. Mid-decade appointment heat — boardroom knives, chart synergy, and Taraji P. Henson eating scenery like a meal.
January **2015** was not a soft launch. Lee Daniels and Danny Strong's Fox drama premiered to massive live-ratings growth: Terrence Howard's Lucious, a hip-hop mogul's family warring over succession when illness forces a crown fight, and Taraji P. Henson's Cookie as event television in a coat that ate the overnight. Songs are plot, not wallpaper. Soundtrack strategy made chart impact part of the show's identity. Rex will tell you appointment TV died with the three-network living room. *Empire* was mid-decade…
Filed against
- Terrence Howard as Lucious Lyon
Terrence Howard crowned Empire as Lucious Lyon — hip-hop dynasty soap that actually moved the ratings needle, a crown fight, songs as plot, boardroom knives and chart synergy. Mid-decade appointment heat. TV Flash files him as 2010s…
- Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon
Taraji P. Henson entered Empire as Cookie Lyon — hip-hop dynasty soap as event television, a crown fight with songs that were plot not wallpaper, mid-decade appointment heat. Lee Daniels and Danny Strong's boardroom knives. TV Flash files…
- Jussie Smollett as Jamal Lyon
Jussie Smollett’s Jamal Lyon gave Empire a singer in the crown fight — Lee Daniels and Danny Strong’s hip-hop dynasty soap that actually moved the ratings needle, Cookie’s entrance as event television, songs as plot not wallpaper.…
- Trai Byers as Andre Lyon
Trai Byers’s Andre Lyon fought for the crown on Empire — Lee Daniels and Danny Strong’s hip-hop dynasty soap that actually moved the ratings needle. Lucious’s succession war, Cookie’s entrance as event television, songs that were plot not…
- Bryshere Y. Gray as Hakeem Lyon
Bryshere Y. Gray played Hakeem Lyon on Empire — the son in a hip-hop dynasty soap that actually moved the ratings needle. Lucious's crown fight, Cookie as event television, songs that were plot not wallpaper. TV Flash files him as 2010s…