diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/services/results_service/results_service.js b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/services/results_service/results_service.js
index 4dec066a7f325..b7aa5edc88638 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/services/results_service/results_service.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/services/results_service/results_service.js
@@ -1259,39 +1259,13 @@ export function getRecordMaxScoreByTime(jobId, criteriaFields, earliestMs, lates
       },
       { term: { job_id: jobId } },
     ];
-    const shouldCriteria = [];
 
     _.each(criteriaFields, criteria => {
-      if (criteria.fieldValue.length !== 0) {
-        mustCriteria.push({
-          term: {
-            [criteria.fieldName]: criteria.fieldValue,
-          },
-        });
-      } else {
-        // Add special handling for blank entity field values, checking for either
-        // an empty string or the field not existing.
-        const emptyFieldCondition = {
-          bool: {
-            must: [
-              {
-                term: {},
-              },
-            ],
-          },
-        };
-        emptyFieldCondition.bool.must[0].term[criteria.fieldName] = '';
-        shouldCriteria.push(emptyFieldCondition);
-        shouldCriteria.push({
-          bool: {
-            must_not: [
-              {
-                exists: { field: criteria.fieldName },
-              },
-            ],
-          },
-        });
-      }
+      mustCriteria.push({
+        term: {
+          [criteria.fieldName]: criteria.fieldValue,
+        },
+      });
     });
 
     ml.esSearch({
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/timeseriesexplorer/components/entity_control/entity_control.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/timeseriesexplorer/components/entity_control/entity_control.tsx
index e31a3cf696288..16b592de2ace3 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/timeseriesexplorer/components/entity_control/entity_control.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/application/timeseriesexplorer/components/entity_control/entity_control.tsx
@@ -63,7 +63,9 @@ export class EntityControl extends Component<EntityControlProps, EntityControlSt
         selectedOptions[0].value !== fieldValue &&
         fieldValue !== null)
     ) {
-      selectedOptionsUpdate = [{ label: EMPTY_FIELD_VALUE_LABEL, value: fieldValue }];
+      selectedOptionsUpdate = [
+        { label: fieldValue === '' ? EMPTY_FIELD_VALUE_LABEL : fieldValue, value: fieldValue },
+      ];
     } else if (Array.isArray(selectedOptions) && fieldValue === null) {
       selectedOptionsUpdate = undefined;
     }