'Empire' news, updates: Series gets early season 4 renewal from Fox; creator Lee Daniels confirms spin-off drama

Despite a recent dip in ratings, Fox's flagship drama "Empire" has been renewed for a fourth season that is expected to air later this year.

The announcement was made during the network's TCA executive session earlier this week. News of the family soap's renewal is hardly a surprise for viewers as it is regarded as one of the biggest hits to hit network television in the past decade. While "Empire" has slipped from its high ratings, the musical drama continues to rank as the No.1 broadcast entertainment program among Adults 18–34 (Teens and young women) and the No.1 broadcast drama among Adults 18–49 for the third consecutive season.

In addition, "Empire" holds Fox's biggest Total Multi-Platform audience with an average of almost 16 million total viewers for the 2016–2017 broadcast season. The series also scored multiple nominations from popular award-giving bodies like the Emmys and Golden Globes.

The show is currently on a winter hiatus and will return on March. Talks of a spin-off of "Empire" have been going on since last year, as the show continues to perform well in ratings. Along with the renewal news, Daniel has also announced that a spin-off of the hip hop series will indeed happen.

"I can officially say that we will be having a spin-off," he told The Hollywood Reporter. When pressed for further information, Daniels remained tight-lipped on whether the spin-off could be for the current season or if it would begin with a planted episode that serves as a back-door pilot. A storyline remains unclear, although it was previously rumored that the spin-off could be a prequel centered in Taraji P. Henson's feisty character Cookie. Lucious Lyon's (Terrence Howard) name was mentioned as well, but Fox still has yet to officially confirm the "Empire" spin-off.

The third season of "Empire" returns on Wednesday, March 22, at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.