The creators of Empire are being sued for $500 million (NZ$771m) over claims it rips off ideas from other shows.
Jon Astor-White is suing the musical drama's executive producers Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, as well as Imagine Entertainment and 21st Century Fox, claiming they borrowed the idea from a programme called King Solomon, which he shopped around in 2007.
According to TMZ, Astor-White faxed a treatment for the show - about a record executive and his family and their battle over company control - around to various companies and it included a proposed cast list featuring the likes of Richard Roundtree, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, John Goodman and George Hamilton.
Astor-White described his show as "the style and elegance of Dynasty meets The Sopranos with a sprinkling of The Godfather".
He is seeking US$500 million plus additional damages.