On FOX's Empire, Lucious is now a married man, but he's not wed to his on-and-off ex/Lyon matriarch, Cookie. Instead, Lucious and Anika are now husband and wife (but only so Anika can't testify against him) with a new baby (who is actually Hakeem's daughter) in the most awkward honeymoon period ever. But don't worry, Cookie should soon have a relationship too, and a real one at that. According to TVLine, Taye Diggs will play Angelo DuBois on Empire, Cookie's potential new love interest. And I say potential because when asked if Angelo will in fact be Cookie's love interest, showrunner and executive producer Ilene Chaiken told TVLine, “He certainly would like to be.”
TVLine describes Angelo as a city councilman with a Harvard law degree and a passion for community organizing — and an interest in Cookie. His background may remind you of another famous politician, who graduated from Harvard Law School and gained success as a Chicago community organizer... President Barack Obama. And though those similarities might make it sound like Empire is going political, Angelo's storyline will primarily be tied to the Lyon matriarch. “His story is all about Cookie,” Chaiken said at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, according to TVLine. “It starts as a Jamal story and then intersects [with Cookie].” Maybe Angelo is looking for a future First Lady.
Whether Cookie and Angelo will actually couple up remains to be seen, but I think fans can predict that Angelo will be a pretty big part of this season. According to TVLine, Diggs' character has recurring status, which means this isn't just a one-episode stint, even though he is also currently starring in TNT's drama series Murder in the First. Legendary actress Phylicia Rashad has also been cast as Angelo's mother Diana, according to Variety, and Diana's interactions with Cookie and the rest of the Lyon family will "lay bare the stark class divides that can exist, even within the black community."
If Angelo wasn't going to play a big role in this season, I don't think Empire would have cast his mother. It could also mean Angelo and Cookie's relationship makes it as far as the "meet the parents" stage. No matter what, I think the most challenging part of this potential romance will be making sure that Lucious doesn't butt into Cookie's business.
Unfortunately, I think fans know that Lucious will definitely look for a way to sabotage Cookie and Angelo's future together, if not ruin it entirely. This should be a love triangle — or square, if you count Anika — that is sure to produce some sparks and drama within the Lyon family during Empire Season 3.
Images: Chuck Hodes/FOX (3)
