Dinesh Kamath about ‘Dynasty’ and ‘Empire’ – Two Most Powerful American TV Serials

‘Dynasty’ and ‘Empire’ – Two Most Powerful American TV Serials

Dynasty

Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. The series, created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy family residing in Denver, Colorado. The series was ABC's competitor to CBS's prime time series Dallas, and starred John Forsythe as oil magnate Blake Carrington, Linda Evans as his new wife Krystle and later Joan Collins as his former wife Alexis. Other notable cast members included Pamela Sue Martin, Lloyd Bochner, Heather Locklear, Michael Nader, Diahann Carroll, Emma Samms, Ted McGinley, Rock Hudson, Kate O'Mara and Stephanie Beacham. The trials and tribulations of two feuding families, the Carringtons and the Colbys, both oil rich families in Denver, Colorado.

Dynasty was a larger than life soaps opera that purported to portray the lives of the wealthy rich while embracing the greed, glamour and excesses of the Reagan-era 1980s. The story set in Denver, Colorado, centered around the wealthy but troubled Carrington family, headed by the powerful oil tycoon Blake Carrington (John Forsythe). In the premiere episode, Blake married his beautiful and sweet secretary Krystle (Linda Evans), much to the chagrin of Blake's spoiled daughter, Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin), and Krystle's ex-lover, Matthew Blaisdel (Bo Hopkins). Blake also had trouble dealing with the fact that his son Steven (Al Corley) was a homosexual and, at the end of the first season, Blake accidentally killed Steven's ex-lover when he found him and Steven in an embrace.

In the second season premiere, Blake's world turned upside down. Not only was he on trial for murder, but his scheming ex-wife, Alexis (Joan Collins), re-entered his life to testify against him. After the trial, she ended up staying in Devener only to wreak more havoc against him and his new wife, Krystle. Initially, the show was dismissed as a clone of another primetime soap opera, Dallas, which also centered around a rich powerful family who made their fortune in oil. However, Dynasty distinguished itself from Dallas and the other primetime soap operas of its era by by embracing campy over-the-top storylines over realistic ones and larger-than-life fashions. By the end of the 1984-1985 season, Dynasty became the #1 TV show in the United States, beating out its rival, Dallas, and spinning off a second series, The Colbys (originally titled, Dynasty II: The Colbys). However, in subsequent seasons, ratings began to decline as viewers grew tired of the over-the-top storylines, such as Moldavia, Krystle's look-a-like.

After 9 seasons and 218 episodes on ABC, the show was cancelled. Two years later, ABC aired a 4 hour mini-series, Dynasty: The Reunion, to wrap up the loose ends of the series, which ended with an unresolved cliffhanger.

After its cancellation, the show was syndicated and eventually aired on SOAPnet, the ABC-owned 24-hour soap opera channel. The show received more interest in the new millenium with the airing of a satirical 2005 TV-movie, Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure; a 2006 cast reunion special, Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar, and of course, the release of the first few seasons on DVD.

Empire

Empire is an American musical drama television series created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong. Although filmed in Chicago, the show is based in New York and it centers on a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the drama among the members of the founders' family as they fight for control of the company.

Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), a former drug dealer-turned-hip hop mogul and CEO of Empire Entertainment, learns he has ALS. His life begins to cave in around him after his past sins come back to haunt him following his diagnosis. Lucious, looking to groom one of his three sons Andre (Trai Byers), Jamal (Jussie Smollett), and Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) to take over the family business, pits them against each other. Empire also stars Taraji P. Henson as Lucious' ex-wife Cookie Lyon, the mother of his three sons, who is released from prison after serving a 17-year sentence. Thus Empire is about a music industry honcho looks at securing the future of his business as his ex-wife and sons fight against each other to take over his business.

Empire debuted on Fox on January 7, 2015. On January 17, 2015, the series was renewed for an 18-episode second season, which premiered on September 23, 2015. On January 15, 2016, the series was renewed for a third season, which is set to premiere on September 21, 2016.