<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> ← Previous Season 2 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> List of Empire episodes </Td> </Tr> <P> The third season of the American television drama series Empire premiered on September 21, 2016, in the United States on Fox . The third season was ordered on January 15, 2016 . The show is produced by 20th Century Fox, in association with Imagine Entertainment, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Danny Strong Productions and Little Chicken Inc . The showrunners for this season are Ilene Chaiken, Danny Strong and Lee Daniels . The season airs on Wednesday at 9: 00 pm, the same slot as the previous seasons . The season concluded on May 24, 2017 and contained 18 episodes . </P> <P> The show centers around a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the drama among the members of the founders' family as they fight for control of the company . </P>

How many episodes are on season 3 of empire