‘Empire’ Season 4 Return: What We Know About New Episodes So Far

The “Empire” Season 4 winter finale left fans with so many questions. Luckily, the Lyon family is finally back, bringing more drama and catchy tunes to Wednesday nights on Fox. Last time viewers saw the brood, they were still in the process of recovering from the events of Season 3.

Things took a turn for the worse when the Lyon clan discovered Lucious’ (Terrence Howard) nurse, Claudia (Demi Moore), was crazy, and their sins from the past began to catch up with them.

While there are still plenty of lingering questions that may take several episodes to answer, here’s everything we know so far about the new episodes airing on Fox when Season 4 returns:

Forest Whitaker Will Reprise His Role

Whitaker, who plays Lucious’ old friend Eddie Barker who was asked to step up to assist Cookie with Empire while Lucious recovered from his memory loss, is set to return for the second half of Season 4.

During the midseason finale, Eddie’s ex-wife Giselle (Nicole Ari Parker) arrived at Empire to tell him they are completely broke after their money was invested in a Ponzi scheme.

Eddie was expected to step down from his role of helping Cookie with the company, but it appears he can no longer afford to leave the position. This new information sets Eddie up for what could be an interesting season.

Eddie is considered family to the Lyons’ but now that his finances are in trouble, he could use their trust to his advantage or he could be completely honest with them.

During a September 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, former showrunner Ilene Chaiken hinted that Eddie’s dynamic with the Lyon family could change.

“He adds an incredible warmth and gravitas. He adds this great feeling of authenticity. When you see Forrest, especially with Cookie and Lucious, you really feel the history of these lives in a very rich way. Because this is Empire, you know that that history, that those relationships, are going to lead to something unexpected. But to begin with, he just brings so much more texture to the world,” she told the publication at the time.

New Characters Will Be Introduced

Rhyon Nicole Brown is set to take on the recurring role of Maya, the daughter of Poundcake, who was imprisoned alongside Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), Deadline reported in February. After being born in prison, she was taken away from her mother and put up for adoption. Maya ended up growing up in an upper middle-class family and has since become a trained dancer.

Porscha Coleman has been cast in a recurring role that will stir up some trouble this season. The actress will portray Mercedes, Porsha’s (Ta’Rhonda Jones) cousin. Mercedes, who is described as ambitious and sexy, is ready to start her singing/rap career and is more than willing to exploit who she has to in order to secure her spot at the top.

According to Deadline, actress Alfre Woodward is set to cause some tension when she appears as a guest star on the Fox series. The star will play the role of Cookie’s mother Renee and the two are not expected to have a happy reunion when they finally come face to face.

Kade Wise landed a recurring role as Preacher Azal, a politically conscious rapper whose musical talents catch Jamal’s (Jussie Smollett) eye.

Chet Hanks will also join the cast, portraying a blue-collar rapper known as Blake.

Season 4, Episode 10 Doesn’t Really Fit Into Empire’s Typical Storyline

When “Empire” returns, viewers will see what happened after Claudia kidnapped Lucious from the hospital. Although she was fired from her position as Lucious’ nurse, she hasn’t let go of her obsession with Dwight and wants him back.

Smollett revealed the midseason premiere wouldn’t be like any other episode that has aired. “It almost doesn’t even stand like an ‘Empire’ episode,” he told TV Guide.

“It’s almost like a standalone episode and then somehow we get back into ‘Empire’ in the episode after,” he added.

Smollett also shared that this time around, Lucious will be the damsel in distress. “It’s really exciting to watch because it’s a classic story of a princess in a tower that needs to be saved by her prince on a white horse. What makes it so exciting is that this time, the princess is Lucious Lyon and the prince on the white horse is Cookie. It’s very empowering,” he teased.

Fans can find out how Cookie and Lucious’ love story will end by tuning into the “Empire” Season 4 midseason premiere when it airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.