TV Madness: ‘Empire’ season 2, ‘Once Upon a Time’ season 5 square off

Today marks the last TV Madness battle of the second round, and today we’re putting the focus on two shows that have really become major hits and in some ways cultural institutions: “Empire” and “Once Upon a Time.” They each won their first matchups by pretty commanding fashion, even though the latter show in particular withstood a pretty solid challenge courtesy of the BBC’s “Poldark.” It was still able to emerge through the other side without too much of a problem.

At the bottom of this article, you can of course vote for who you want to see move on to the Final Four! Note that voting is only going to be open until tomorrow at noon Pacific time, so you’re not going to have a whole lot of time to select your favorite.

“Empire” (3) – We’ve just heard that the Fox series is going to be shaking itself up once again for the second half of the season, and focusing on telling a story that is a little bit more character-based. While there may be a wide array of people who are interested in being a part of the show, that doesn’t mean that they need them. That’s something that the series had to figure out. Luckily, it withstood that sort of creative challenge while still drawing amazing ratings and solid reviews.

“Once Upon a Time” (2) – While we thought the first half of season 5 was somewhat-challenging for the series, it has since recovered nicely for a solid second half of the season themed around the Underworld. You can expect a similar style over the coming episodes to what we’ve seen so far, with our heroes trying to help some lost souls in the Underworld find their way back. Also, get ready for a few more familiar faces here and there.