The Lyon family may have dominated their fictional industry, but in real life it's a little more of a struggle. Can Empire win any Teen Choice Awards this year? With a whopping 11 nominations in eight categories, the new Fox series definitely has a shot, but I wouldn't be surprised if it lost a few to veteran shows and teen favorites.
The Fox series been nominated for Choice Television Drama as well as Choice Breakout TV Show. Both Jussie Smollett and Terrance Howard were nominated for Choice Television Drama Actor, and Taraji P. Henson was nominated for Choice Television Drama Actress. Both Smollett and Yazz were also nominated for Breakout TV Actor and Trai Byers was nominated for TV Scene Stealer. Terrance Howard is also nominated for Choice Villain. "You're So Beautiful" was nominated for Choice Song alongside other nominees from films such as Pitch Perfect 2 and Fifty Shades of Grey. Finally, the entire cast is nominated for TV Chemistry alongside some of your favorite 'ships from other shows.
Here's my real question — can anything beat Pretty Little Liars on Sunday? The voting may have closed before this week's Big A reveal, but the power of those fans is undeniable. Since 2012, Pretty Little Liars has dominated the Drama categories for Choice Television Drama, Actress, and Actor. Is teenage America's love for Cookie Lyon greater than their obsession with Aria and Emily? One would think that the two PLL actresses would cancel each other out, but multiple actors have been nominated in the past and still walked away with the surfboard.
While I think it's most likely that Empire will take away the Breakout TV award, I do honestly think that Empire has a chance to take down PLL this year in the Drama categories — particularly with Henson, the show itself, and possibly Smollett because he's just so darn cute. Why else? Because part of Empire's success has come from a spark of fandom fervor, with its fans being extremely passionate about the new series. That said, its biggest Breakout competition is Jane the Virgin, which has also a very dedicated fan base. Unlike the Emmys and the Golden Globes, fans have a say in theTeen Choice Awards and it could make a difference.
Lucious Lyon would make an interesting pick for Choice Villain, though he's not quite as mustache twirly as Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne on The Flash and the (no longer) anonymous torture of A. Also, while Byers' performance is heartbreaking on Empire, I don't think young fans are watching for Andre.
As far as the Chemistry award goes, I find it unlikely that anyone would vote for a whole cast instead of a favorite pairing. However, this is a new category for television, so anything can happen. Unfortunately, I think "You're So Beautiful" is going to lose Choice Song to one of the film nominees, though I'm looking forward to the live Empire performance on Sunday. Whether they win or not, at least I'll get to see my favorite family before the show returns!
Images: Chuck Hodes/Fox; Giphy (2)
