Empire's Taraji P. Henson Cookie spinoff is dead at Fox, but it's being shopped to ABC and Hulu

Deadline

Fox has opted not to proceed with the spinoff of its signature drama Empire, focusing on larger-than-life character of Cookie Lyon, that was revealed in July. Part of the reason is that Fox and the studio behind the spinoff, 20th TV, are no longer part of the same company. "A spinoff of such a successful series comes with a high price tag, which is hard for a broadcast network to cover, especially when it is not affiliated with the studio as is the case with Fox and 20th TV, which became separated by the Disney-Fox acquisition toward the end of Empire's run," reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, noting that Fox Entertainment has no ownership in the spinoff. She adds that the Empire spinoff will be shopped to fellow Disney outlets ABC and Hulu. The Cookie spinoff was created by Empire co-creator Danny Strong along with the show's co-executive producers Stacy Littlejohn and Yolonda Lawrence.