Empire has been officially cut short.
The series’ final season will be two episodes shorter than planned, and an early series finale has been set.
The 18th episode of the Taraji P. Henson and Terrance Howard-led drama will now serve as the finale due to the Coronavirus.
According to Deadline, producers are expected to weave some of the footage from episode 19 into the now series finale to “create a more seamless overall ending.”
Empire is one of only two series whose final season shoots were impacted by production shutdown. Empire joins The CW’s Supernatural, which ended up airing 13 episodes during its current season.
