diff --git a/src/ng/templateRequest.js b/src/ng/templateRequest.js
index edd58623..45fdb493 100644
--- a/src/ng/templateRequest.js
+++ b/src/ng/templateRequest.js
@@ -48,10 +48,6 @@ function $TemplateRequestProvider() {
       return $http.get(tpl, httpOptions)
         .then(function(response) {
           var html = response.data;
-          if (!html || html.length === 0) {
-            return handleError();
-          }
-
           self.totalPendingRequests--;
           $templateCache.put(tpl, html);
           return html;
diff --git a/test/ng/templateRequestSpec.js b/test/ng/templateRequestSpec.js
index 23b9dabb..5684b0c6 100644
--- a/test/ng/templateRequestSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/templateRequestSpec.js
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ describe('$templateRequest', function() {
     }).toThrowMinErr('$compile', 'tpload', 'Failed to load template: tpl.html');
   }));
 
-  it('should throw an error when the template is empty',
+  it('should not throw an error when the template is empty',
     inject(function($rootScope, $templateRequest, $httpBackend) {
 
     $httpBackend.expectGET('tpl.html').respond('');
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ describe('$templateRequest', function() {
     expect(function() {
       $rootScope.$digest();
       $httpBackend.flush();
-    }).toThrowMinErr('$compile', 'tpload', 'Failed to load template: tpl.html');
+    }).not.toThrow();
   }));
 
   it('should keep track of how many requests are going on',
diff --git a/test/ngRoute/directive/ngViewSpec.js b/test/ngRoute/directive/ngViewSpec.js
index 2c01f7be..a2ab0cce 100644
--- a/test/ngRoute/directive/ngViewSpec.js
+++ b/test/ngRoute/directive/ngViewSpec.js
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ describe('ngView', function() {
   });
 
 
-  it('should not instantiate the associated controller when an empty template is downloaded', function() {
+  it('should instantiate the associated controller when an empty template is downloaded', function() {
     var log = [], controllerScope,
         Ctrl = function($scope) {
           controllerScope = $scope;
@@ -73,9 +73,9 @@ describe('ngView', function() {
 
       expect(function() {
         $rootScope.$digest();
-      }).toThrowMinErr('$compile', 'tpload', 'Failed to load template: /tpl.html');
+      }).not.toThrow();
 
-      expect(controllerScope).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(controllerScope).toBeDefined();
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/test/ngRoute/routeSpec.js b/test/ngRoute/routeSpec.js
index 3fdb4d14..45668c3c 100644
--- a/test/ngRoute/routeSpec.js
+++ b/test/ngRoute/routeSpec.js
@@ -744,7 +744,7 @@ describe('$route', function() {
     });
 
 
-    it('should throw an error when a template is empty or not found', function() {
+    it('should throw an error when a template is not found', function() {
       module(function($routeProvider, $exceptionHandlerProvider) {
         $exceptionHandlerProvider.mode('log');
         $routeProvider.
@@ -766,7 +766,7 @@ describe('$route', function() {
         $rootScope.$digest();
 
         $httpBackend.flush();
-        expect($exceptionHandler.errors.pop().message).toContain("[$compile:tpload] Failed to load template: r2.html");
+        expect($exceptionHandler.errors.length).toBe(0);
 
         $httpBackend.expectGET('r3.html').respond('abc');
         $location.path('/r3');