Empire Season 3: Lee Daniels’ Hit Show To Address Black Lives Matter Movement

Empire Season 3 debuts in just a couple of weeks, and showrunners have revealed that the show will be tackling an important social issue. Empire will continue its socially conscious themes this season when it addresses ongoing police brutality throughout the nation and the Black Lives Matter movement, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Without revealing too much of a spoiler, Cookie and Lucious Lyon’s oldest son Andre (Trai Byers) will find himself in a situation where he’s racially profiled during the second episode.

“Andre’s story is the story about Andre becoming woke — connecting to his blackness in a way he hasn’t before,” Ilene Chaiken, Empire‘s executive producer, said.

Byers added his own thoughts on his character’s experience, and how it affects him personally.

It’s a sensitive subject especially because I’m a black man. I have a black brother. My nephews just came to visit me and looking at them and thinking this is the world that they’re going to grow up in. It’s important that we tell these stories. But it’s also important I think, for this story to be a part of the collective conversation.

Co-creator Lee Daniels said this plot point for Empire Season 3 was inspired by an experience his own son dealt with.

I came into the writer’s room in the every beginning, and said these are the issues I want to talk about. This is what is going on in my head right now and this is what is affecting with my family. And we act out what was happening with my son through Andre.

Brothers — through thick and thin. #Empire pic.twitter.com/sWIvNysKuk

— Empire (@EmpireTVSeries) September 2, 2016

Since Empire‘s inception, it’s been very upfront about society’s most contentious issues, from race to homophobia. The second eldest Lyon, Jamal (Jussie Smollett), has battled with his parents’ acceptance of his sexuality throughout the seasons. While his mother has come to accept him, his father still can’t; in fact, Lucious frequently uses his homophobia as a weapon against his own son.

Race, of course, has always been a central theme. The Lyons are a powerful black family who dominates the music industry–they’re bound to encounter some complicated obstacles.

Aside from the Black Lives Matter theme, Andre will surely play an important role in Empire‘s newest season overall.

[Warning: Season 2 spoiler ahead.]

The Season 2 finale ended with Andre’s wife, Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday), and a pregnant Anika (Grace Gealey) fighting it out on a balcony. As the camera moves to Andre’s panicked face, a scream is heard off-screen as, presumably, one of the women plummets over the railing.

Whether or not it’s Rhonda who went over, Andre was the closest person to the tense scene, and he’ll more than likely blame himself for the outcome.

Chaiken also confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Season 3 will indeed have a focus on Andre.

“One of the things we said [in the writers’ room] was, ‘If season one was Jamal’s season and season two was Hakeem’s, then Season 3 is gonna be Andre’s. Andre has a big story, a great story, and we’re being rigorous about tracking his character,” she said.

This all comes after weeks of speculation that Trai Byers would be leaving Empire. It never moved beyond rumor in the media, and Byers denied those rumors recently.

“Andre is a very complicated character. And my approach is complicated as well. The character is going through spirituality, trying to find his identity. How do we get to the truth but still keep it interesting and still fit into the world of Empire? I think that’s where the frustration lies.”

Daniels acknowledged that crafting Andre’s complex story was a challenge for the writers, so Byers may have been concerned. However, Andre Lyon is here to stay.

Empire Season 3 premieres on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, on FOX.

[Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP Images]