News ‘Empire’ series finale: How the show reworked the ending after coronavirus halted production April 21, 2020April 21, 2020 Bill Keveney, USA TODAY Comments Off on ‘Empire’ series finale: How the show reworked the ending after coronavirus halted production Spoiler alert: 'Empire' ended its run early due to the coronavirus production shutdown. Here's how the show factored in Jussie Smollett's Jamal.