16 Reasons "Empire" Is Practically A Telenovela

The plot, the script, the drama. Empire may be just like a telenovela — a telenovela on steroids. An all-new season of Empire returns Wednesday September 23 at 9/8c on FOX!

1. There's that one boss woman everybody luuuvs to watch.

Courtesy of Fox / Via fox.com

Much like our all-time ~fave~ telenovela villain — that woman who will step over everything and everyone to get what she wants — Cookie is a fantastically unpredictable character (dafuq is she gonna say/do next?!).

2. And the guy you love to hate is rich.

Courtesy of Fox / Via fox.com

The villains in novelas are always some wealthy, lucky bastards whose unscrupulousness makes them easy to dislike — and fun to watch.

3. The story develops around this one family...

Courtesy of Fox / Via devereauxpoi.tumblr.com

Plots in novelas typically revolve around a certain family...then the storyline dives deep into the world of each one of the characters, who of course happen to be incredibly interesting. Well, Empire has that one central family, and yeah, they're all (luckily for us viewers) crazy AF.

4. ...and there's definitely some sibling rivalry.

Courtesy of FOX / Via jamandstuff.tumblr.com

Sibling relationships in novelas are, to put it simply, complicated (if the siblings are even really related...'cause, you know, novelas). On Empire, Jamal, Andre, and Hakeem get into it often..but, hell, when someone's gonna inherit an empire, butting heads is just inevitable.

5. It's very sexy.

http://dailyempire-gifs.tumblr.com/post/113994542706

http://dailyempire-gifs.tumblr.com/post/113994542706

The main characters in novelas — much like some of the stars on Empire — look like marble-carved gods and goddesses. They're sweet, dewy eye candy. 🔥🔥🔥

6. There are catfights. Epic catfights.

Courtesy of Fox / Via realitytvgifs.tumblr.com

And Cookie is basically the hybrid child of a novela heroine and The Joker, but with additional swag. What we're trying to say is, when she gets into a fight, it's good.

7. People say it how it is.

Courtesy of Fox / Via fox.com

In regular life, ain't nobody got the verbal skills to drop one-liners 24/7 like we see in Empire or telenovelas. But because they're both meant to be shocking and super entertaining, brilliant honesty (verbalized in impossibly witty ways) takes a central role in both.

8. The main characters utilize their sexual prowess to get what they want.

Courtesy of Fox / Via parangarico.tumblr.com

All is fair in love, war, telenovelas, and Empire, apparently.

9. The fashion is on point.

Courtesy of Fox

Main characters — except for, say, María la del Barrio before she escaped poverty and still looked like an untidy hipster — are the quintessential symbols of opulence and typically dressed to the nines.

10. Love is complicated AF.

Courtesy of Fox / Via fox.com

That's one thing telenovelas, Empire, and REAL LIFE have in common, actually. *sobs*

11. The soundtrack is epic.

Courtesy of Fox / Via fox.com

Novela songs are absurdly romantic anthems that stay in our minds and our hearts forever. Empire's jams are equally incredible, which makes sense since Timbaland is the executive producer of the music on the show.

12. Someone is going to get blackmailed.

Courtesy of Fox

In Empire's case, it's Jamal who gets blackmailed by his dad in order to keep his sexual orientation a secret. But we all know in novelas, there's also PLENTY of info that the characters go to great lengths to keep concealed.

13. There's always someone digging for gold.

Courtesy of Fox / Via atrl.net

On Empire, that's Anika (aka Boo Boo Kitty).

14. An element of affliction is present in at least one character.

Courtesy of Fox

Courtesy of Fox

In novelas and on Empire, sometimes fiction just...gets...real. Whether they showcase the struggle of an aunt who's secretly addicted to painkillers or a person who's dealing with a mental illness, it's not unusual for a character's breakdown to turn out being a season's zenith.

15. There's plenty of OMG moments...

Courtesy of Fox / Via newsflow24.com

Yeah, just like Soraya Montenegro basically reincarnates after suffering a fall from like 18 floors and looking dead as hell, Lucious Lyon killed Bunkie like it was NBD ("Oh, you know, kill someone today, try a new ice cream flavor tomorrow").

16. ...and twists and turns that take you for a wild ride.

Courtesy of Fox / Via giphy.com

The fact that Lucious ain't gonna die sounds a lot like a typical novela ending where someone goes to the doctor in pain thinking they're about to exit this life 'cause of a cancer diagnosis, but then they just turn out preggers and ecstatic when the doctor informs them that their medical records had been mixed up, and they were never actually ill. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So, like telenovelas, will Empire have a happy ending? Guess we just have to keep watching. An all-new season of EMPIRE returns Wednesday September 23 at 9/8c on FOX!