*The success of “Empire” is something you can’t ignore.
So much so that theGrio.com is examining Fox’s ratings juggernaut with Tyler Perry’s small screen successes with shows like “The Haves and the Have Nots.” Citing “Empire’s” recent season finale, the opinion piece, the site mentions that “Empire” co-creator Lee Daniels has improved upon Perry’s “all of it, everything, more is never enough” formula of storytelling, which has always garnered Perry viewers, but never the praise of critics or colleagues, of which Daniels has countless.
“The big question is why does Daniels’s show get what Perry’s films don’t?, writer Demetria Lucas D’Oyley asks.
In her eyes, the answer lies partly in the production value of “Empire” as well as the soap opera medium it springs from.
“If nothing else, Empire is pretty to look at. It’s flashy and excessive, channeling the (90s) hip hop entertainment world in which it’s anchored,” wrote D’Oyley. “It’s slicker, a superlative of slick, than anything’s Perry’s ever done. It’s ostentatious without being gaudy, which is marked by a very fine line that Perry hasn’t yet learned to walk.”
“Empire also wins because it’s not trying to be anything other than what it is: a soap opera,” she continues. “…Perry often seems like he’s trying to serve well-heeled and developed drama, unaware that he’s gone too far and still falls far short. There is no better example than the travesty of what he did with For Colored Girls…”
Upon reading the op ed, readers were apparently not pleased with D’Oyley or The Grio for comparing Daniels’ work with Perry’s. According to them, the site should praise both men for bringing quality black programming to the small screen as well as providing a vehicle for talented entertainers.
“Is it me; why is there always a comparison with Black productions? I never see this type of media with White productions. These reviews only advocate for separation and negativity,” Lee A. Sykes responded Saturday.” Just recently, a Black professor went public with a negative assessment of the show and for what? Was he looking for a following? People please understand “Empire” is entertainment period. Have you or anyone ever watch another show where so many Black actors and entertainers were showcased? It entertainment, please leave it as just that..”
While most commenters praised Daniels and Perry, James Pugh voiced his displeasure with theGrio as he evoked memories of a familiar military strategy.
“It’s the old divide and conquer mentality,” Pugh shared. “The kicker is that it always seem to work on us African Americans because we are notorious for not sticking together! Look….. It’s simple people! Just say something nice about all the Black shows on Television right now! That’s shuts all the people who seek to sink the ratings and divide the people up! Disagree all you want behind closed doors but stick together in public. All other races do it. We seem to be the last ones learning this valuable lesson.”
The slamming of theGrio continued with Mona King Austin, who brought up an interesting difference between Daniels and Perry.
“YOUR ASSESSMENT IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG! Like most people here, I don’t like the comparisons,” she voiced. “But, if you are going to do it get it right>>The difference between Perry and Daniels is Perry has built and runs an empire and Daniels writes about one.”
Rather than totally go in on the site, Samantha AnyaVeniace Embery expressed how the site should focus more on the bigger picture of having “more positive shows that explore the “Black American” experience and culture.”
“We seem to be our own worst critics. I don’t understand why we should compare Lee Daniels’ and Tyler Perry’s production works in the first place. We should be applauding the fact that we have more positive shows that explore the “Black American” experience and culture,” Embery noted. “On top of that we should be happy that we have diversity among our black screenwriters, producers, and directors providing our actors with roles to build a career upon. Lastly, I’m glad that Lee Daniels and Tyler Perry have different styles in their approach because if it were the same people would get bored. We should be praising our achievements instead of being crabs in a barrel pulling each other down.”
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