An Evening With 'Empire’: How to Make a Hit Show in a Digital World (Video)

“Empire” — a prime-time soap opera about a fractious, musical and very entertaining family — was the biggest hit of last year’s TV season.

Would it have been a hit in an era where Twitter, binge-watching and smartphones didn’t exist? Probably!

But tech has helped the show take off and evolve, according to “Empire’s” creators and stars.

Here’s what actor Terrence Howard, executive producer Brian Grazer, creators Danny Strong and Lee Daniels and show runner Ilene Chaiken had to say during a wide-ranging and rollicking session at the Code Conference. A decent summary from Grazer at the end of this one: “We’re off the rails.”

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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