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The Deliverance | Lee Daniels | Official Trailer | Netflix
Lee Daniels co-created the Fox drama series “Empire,” which was one of the biggest shows on television during its six-season run on Fox from 2015 to 2020. The show, which starred Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, was a cultural phenomenon thanks to its outlandish characters (Cookie, for starters), skyrocketing ratings and original hit songs. But working on the series was anything but enjoyable. Daniels recently told The Film Stage that “Empire” was “the absolute worst experience.”
"I don't like to stay in the same boat as a creative. When I got into television, all I really wanted was to be able to answer to suits," Daniels said of "Empire." "I wanted to know what that experience was like. All my friends, they get notes and shit. And I'm like, 'What's that like?!' You know what I mean?"
Daniels noted that "all my films were independent" before he made the transition to television with "Empire," so he was interested to know what it would be like to work for a major studio.
