'Empire' is a Must-Watch

Country music has its own drama-packed series in ABC's Nashville, and now FOX has hitched a ride on the music-meets-soap opera bandwagon with the Lee Daniels-produced hip-hop drama Empire . The show centers around Lucious Lyon (played by Terrence Howard), who heads up a hip-hop music label and has just been diagnosed with a permanent debilitating illness. Howard is only one member of the show's great cast, though: In addition, Courtney Love has joined the cast as a recurring guest star, and the show will also star Taraji P. Henson, and Gabourey Sidibe in a more permanent capacity. If that alone wasn't enough to convince you watch, perhaps this will be: Per the Hollywood Reporter, Fox has released a new trailer for Empire — and the minute-long teaser is everything and then some.

Aside from the obligatory "partying like a rock star at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve" thing, Empire presents yet another reason to be excited about the arrival of next year: The series is set to premiere in January. Here are four reasons why you should definitely file it under the must-watch category:

Lee Daniels has the Midas touch.

Empire is Daniels' first foray into TV, but he has Oprah's stamp of approval and has produced huge films like Precious, Lee Daniels'

The Butler and Monster's Ball.

The characters are based on real people.

OK, so it's not like I personally know any of Lee Daniels' relatives, but for some reason, the fact that his family members inspired Empire characters makes me all the more excited to watch.

The music will be awesome.

Considering that super producer Timbaland will write and produce original music for the series, this is pretty much a guarantee.

The cast is top-notch.

Taraji P. Henson is known for executing some of the grittiest, most passionate onscreen performances, which makes her the perfect fit for the role of Lyon's vengeful ex-wife Cookie — a character who is undoubtedly the star of this trailer. Terrence Howard is no stranger to bringing his special brand of creepy arrogance to characters, even though, at this point, we can only assume what type of guy Lyon will be. Also, Daniels will reunite with the stellar actress Gabourey Sidibe, who he worked with on Precious.

Check out the trailer for Empire below:

Image: FOX