Empire
Jussie Smollett, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Bryshere Gray and Trai Byers all return to “Empire” Season 3 when it returns in March to Fox. Fox

The return of “Empire” Season 3 is less than two weeks away which means the Lyon family will be back with more drama and more scheming to keep themselves at the top of the music industry.

However, before tuning into the popular Fox series, you may want to brush up on what you should expect when “Empire” Season 3 returns. Here is everything we know so far about the new episodes.

A New Villain

Demi Moore
Demi Moore will have a recurring role on “Empire” Season 4. The actress is pictured attending Harper's Bazaar celebration of the 150 Most Fashionable Women on Jan. 27, 2017 in West Hollywood, California. Getty Images

Demi Moore has landed a recurring role on the Fox series in which she will play a nurse who will make her debut in the Season 3 finale. Expect to see more of Moore in Season 4 when she becomes more involved with the Lyon family.

Lucious May Die

At the end of the “Empire” Season 3 fall finale, Andre (Trai Byers) vowed to kill his father Lucious (Terrence Howard) and executive producer Sanaa Hamri believes the character will follow through on his promise.

“Andre’s the perfect candidate to follow through with such a statement. He’s been plotting and planning since the fifth episode of the third season, the EP told Entertainment tonight in December.

At this point, it is believed that Andre sees no consequences when it comes to ending Lucious’ life.

“He’s extremely calculated and smart, so I fear for Lucious’ life because I know that Andre is going to follow through. He has no wife, no child - he has his girlfriend - but he literally has nothing to lose, and people with nothing to lose are the most dangerous. It makes sense that he wants to kill Lucious and he’s going to do whatever he can to achieve that goal,” Hamri explained.

No More Kaitlin Doubleday

Empire
Kaitlin Doubleday will not appear on “Empire” Season 3 when it returns to Fox in March. Fox

Although her character Rhonda was killed off the show, Doubleday still reprised her role as a ghost haunting her husband. However, in the fall finale, Andre said his goodbye to Rhonda. If there was any doubt that the blonde bombshell would return, Hamri shut the possibility down.

“We said goodbye to Rhonda. Andre has now found a support system in Nessa (Sierra A. McClain) and he knows that he’s now even more fixated and understands what his role is and what he’s about to do,” the executive producer said.

By the fall finale, Nessa was working on helping Andre learn to take care of himself, something Rhonda never taught him. “Now he no longer needs the trappings of Rhonda coming back churning all this emotion for him. He’s letting go so he can move on and ultimately, do what he needs to do: kill his father. He also has to avenge his Rhonda’s death,” Hamri explained.

New Faces

“Empire” is known for having superb guest stars and they won’t be in short supply this time around. Eva Longoria, Nia Long, Rumer Willis, Phylicia Rashad and Taye Diggs are scheduled to appear on the Fox series when it returns in the spring.

Jamal In Rehab

At the end of the fall finale, Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) sent Jamal (Jussie Smollett) to rehab to deal with his addiction to painkillers but rather than skipping over the experience and bringing Jamal back as a drug-free artist, viewers we live through his rehab experience with him.

“It’s not the easiest thing to deal with, especially when one is addicted to painkillers - it’s not only a physical addiction, it’s also psychological,” Hamri stated.

Jamal’s condition also raises several questions. “Can he perform again? He was able to perform high but what’s his music going to be like when he’s not high, and will he be able to write? Is he going to be ready?” the executive producer asked.

The show plans on making the experience very real, similar to what people in the entertainment industry go through when they are struggling with an addiction.

Lucious And Cookie At War Once Again

Empire
Cookie and Lucious will not be on good terms when “Empire” Season 3 returns on Fox. Fox
In the synopsis for episode 10, “Sound & Fury,” it seems that Lucious and Cookie will not be on good terms. “After launching a deadly missile at Angelo, Lucious announces his new music project, Inferno, and puts everyone on notice - especially Cookie, who then vows to knock him off his throne for good,” the synopsis teases.

In the fall finale, Lucious ambushed Angelo with a reporter who brought up Angelo’s past crimes. Although Cookie was not aware of her boyfriend’s past she seemed more upset that Lucious tried to ruin her happiness. It looks like when the series returns, Cookie won’t be in a forgiving mood.

“Empire” Season 3 returns on Wednesday, March 22, at 9 p.m. EST on Fox.

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