I don't know if Empire was ever going to be a great show, but season one was coherent, entertaining, and at least was easy to follow.
The first sign that the show was falling off was when Hakeem got kidnapped and rescued in ten minutes. Then the season two finale went all the way with the over-the-top cartoon shyt.
It should have ended after season three or four. The characters never learned anything and kept making the same mistakes, plots kept being introduced that nobody cared about/dropped abruptly/regurgitated, too much stunt casting, the company was always under attack by some evil supervillain that wanted to take it over like some Saturday morning cartoon.
I know why Jussie Smollett lied.....he was trying to get off the show.