‘Empire’ season 2 spoilers: Taraji P. Henson on the new Cookie; also, scheduling news!

Yesterday it was revealed that “Empire” season 2 is set to premiere come Wednesday, September 23 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, and thanks to a Television Academy panel we also now have a few other details in terms of what to expect.

Before we talk about anything too heavy story-wise, let’s give you a little insight into how the 18 episodes are going to work out this coming season. The first ten are going to air as one bundle in the fall, and then after a hiatus, the remaining eight will air at some point in 2016. This split-season format works well for shows like “Agents of SHIELD” and “Once Upon a Time,” so it should work fairly well here.

Now, let’s talk Cookie. It’s looking already like she could have as many as two different love interests in the second season, and the idea to us of a Cookie love triangle sounds ridiculous fun. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Taraji P. Henson also discussed a little of what you are going to see her character up to now that she has a little more freedom this season:

“She’s getting back to what she did when she built the empire … She’s been tucked away for 17 years. Now she’s been out for some time so you get to see the Cookie that actually built Empire back in the day, starting from nothing.”

Are there concerns that “Empire” may be biting off more than they can chew with 18 episodes? Sure, but we do think that it at least has the cast and the writers aboard to make this happen successfully. We just won’t get a chance to know for sure until it premieres.

If you do want to get some other updates on all things “Empire” right now, head over to the link here! Also, you can sign up here to get some further updates on all we cover, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Fox.)