Will There Be An ‘Empire’ Season 6? Renewal, Cancellation Details

“Empire” airs its Season 5 finale tonight, but fans have nothing to worry about when it comes to the future of the show.

Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment for FOX Entertainment, announced last week that the musical drama had been renewed for Season 6.

“EMPIRE continues to break barriers with its emotionally powerful storytelling, and it remains a core part of the FOX legacy,” Thorn said in a press release. “We want to thank everyone on the show…all of whom have done a tremendous job this season. We know there are so many more stories to tell, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for Season Six.”

Before the renewal news, fans were likely worried the show would be canceled due to the controversy surrounding one of its stars — Jussie Smollett (Jamal) — over the last few months. The actor was charged with disorderly conduct in February for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself.

The charges were later dropped and the actor’s record wiped clean, but during the ordeal, “Empire” continued filming without Smollett and rewrote the character’s storyline in order to wrap it up, if need be.

Although the actor’s no longer dealing with legal issues, it’s unlikely he’ll return to the Fox drama next season.

“By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for Season 6, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to ‘Empire,’” Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox TV said in a statement last week, according to Deadline.

“We’ve been told that Jussie will not be on Empire in the beginning of the season but he appreciates they have extended his contract to keep Jamal’s future open,” the outlet reported Smollett’s reps saying. “Most importantly he is grateful to Fox and Empire leadership, cast, crew and fans for their unwavering support.”

While what’s to come in Season 6 is still a ways away, fans still have Season 5, episode 18, titled “The Roughest Day,” to look forward to seeing Wednesday night. It’s an “Empire” finale, which means viewers should prepare themselves for some shocking moments.

“As Cookie [Taraji P. Henson] and Lucious [Terrence Howard] deal with each other’s betrayals, they wonder if this could be the end for their relationship. Meanwhile, Andre’s [] life hangs in the balance and the future of Empire is in jeopardy as the Feds close in and the mystery of who is in the coffin is finally revealed.”

The Season 5 finale of “Empire” airs on Fox on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EDT.