What Should We Expect In 'Empire' Season 2?

Empire may have just ended its first season, but Season 2 can't come quickly enough. The series, featuring Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Jussie Smollet, Trai Byers, Gabourey Sidibe, fan favorite Ta'Rhonda Jones, and a roster of high-profile guest stars, has been a record-breaking success. The cliff-hanger ending left audiences and die-hard fans looking ahead to next season for answers, but luckily, Empire's executive producer Ilene Chaiken sat down with E! News to answer some questions about — and supply some spoilers for — Empire Season 2.

That's not to say that Chaiken gives everything away — there's still a lot we don't know about how long Lucious will be in jail or how Jamal will hold up as leader of the Empire — but she does give us a few things we can definitely look forward to when new episodes return. Chaiken does acknowledge that Season 1 ended with a fairly convenient setup for Season 2 to pick up, so you can definitely expect a lot of those loose end to be tied in the upcoming season... though we don't know exactly how that will happen yet.

So, while you count the days until Empire returns, here are a few things Chaiken tells E! we might be seeing next season. (SPOILER ALERT: Cookie still runs everything.)

More Cookie

Chaiken said Cookie will be central to Season 2 as she tries to resolve old conflicts and repair lost relationships. "I'm excited to see what Cookie does with her new status, especially in the absence of Lucious [...] She lost her relationship with her most beloved son, and I want to see how Cookie resolves that or regains her relationship with Jamal."

Porsha is coming back

Porsha could definitely play a more prominent role in Season 2. "We love her as much as you do," Chaiken said, "I would bet you that there's a good chance we'll do more with her in the second season."

Lucious could be in jail for a while

Chaiken said the Empire writers haven't discussed how long Lucious will stay in jail, or if he will stay in jail indefinitely. She told E! News, "Lucious will always be central to the story no matter where he is. Beyond that, we're not there yet. We'll figure out whether Lucious is in or out of prison or in and out of prison."

Oprah might be there

The Empire cast reportedly told E! News that "they'd love to see Oprah" appear as a guest star, and Chaiken said there's definitely a chance it could happen in Season 2. "I know everyone would be thrilled," she said.

Lucious will never die

Whatever ends up happening to Lucious, or however long he stays in jail, Chaiken says the only thing that's certain is that Lucious definitely won't be killed off, ever. "The plan was never to have Lucious die and to continue on without him. Terrence Howard is really important to all of us and to the show. The plan was never to do Empire with Terrence for just a year or two," Chaiken said. As for Lucious' misdiagnosis? Chaiken said it's always been part of the plan.

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