Finally the UK gets to see what all the fuss is about. 

E4 will be showing one of the year’s most talked-about US dramas later this spring.

Featuring original songs produced by Timbaland, Empire has become the highest-rated scripted programme in the US since it debuted on the Fox network in January. It wound up its 12-episode first season last month, and has already been confirmed for a second, while its recent soundtrack album also topped the US Billboard 200 albums chart last month.

Created by The Butler director Lee Daniels and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay screenwriter (and former Buffy star) Danny Strong, Empire tells the story of a fictional hip-hop music and entertainment company as its owner prepares to take it public. As well as a ridiculous plot, great performances and original songs that are actually pretty good, the show has been bolstered by its celebrity cameos, which include Courtney Love, Naomi Campbell, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Estelle and many more.

Given that Empire is basically Dallas meets The O.C. set in a fictionalised version of Roc-A-Fella Records with original songs produced by Timbaland, its appearance in the UK at some point was surely all but a formality. E4 hasn’t confirmed an exact date for its airing in the UK, but it should be appearing in the next few months.

If you’re a UK reader who’s yet to download the show illegally and you want to know what the fuss is about, check the video for one of the show’s original tracks, ‘No Apologies’, below. [via NME]