By Eammon Jacobs

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When the first season of Power debuted on Starz in 2014, nobody could’ve imagined how big the addictive crime drama would get. Well, aside from showrunner Courtney A Kemp and producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson of course. The six-season long story saw Omari Hardwick’s James St. Patrick (A.K.A. Ghost) balance his conflicting roles as vicious drug dealer, legitimate nightclub owner and family man.

His desire to get out of the criminal lifestyle pushes him to take bigger risks that are only escalated when he starts an affair with an old flame, Angela Valdez, played by Lela Loren. Unfortunately for Ghost, Angela is now an Assistant Attorney for the FBI. Ghost’s passionate relationship with Angela causes a huge divide in the St. Patrick family, with his son Tariq slowly turning against his father.

You can watch all six seasons of Power on Netflix now.

The hugely talented cast includes the likes of Joseph Sikora as his partner/best friend Tommy Egan with 50 Cent playing Ghost’s former-mentor turned enemy Kanan Stark. The villain (and occasional anti-hero) was a truly charismatic element of the series, and it’s no surprise that he was a huge driving force throughout all six seasons.

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The series came to a close in February 2020 with some truly shocking revelations over the future of the St. Patrick family that simply couldn’t be left unexplored. Thankfully, Starz has expanded the Power-verse into a number of spin-offs, the first of which just closed out its first season: Power Book II: Ghost.

Power Book II: Ghost

Power Book II: Ghost
Starz

Watch now on StarzPlay via Amazon Prime Video

Power’s explosive finale saw Tariq poised to become the next drug Kingpin of New York, once he graduates from university, of course. But when the spin-off picks up from the main series just a few days after James St Patrick’s death, Tariq quickly begins to struggle to hold his family together. With his mother, Tasha, being prosecuted by the devious Cooper Saxe, Tariq has to fend off threats from every direction.

When the series premiered in September 2020, Tariq wound up working alongside the Tejada Cartel. He eventually formed an uneasy alliance with its leader - Monet Stewart Tejada, played by none other than Mary J Blige. She’s a formidable ally, especially when it comes to facing off returning Power characters, that’s for sure.

Two weeks after Ghost started airing, Starz announced that it ordered a second season of the spin-off, proving that the main Power-verse is far from over. Season two will see Tariq working even closer with Monet as he struggles without a guiding figure in his life - but he’ll be walking on eggshells thanks to her ruthless nature.

Expect to see much more from Tariq’s journey, as Courtney A. Kemp recently told Deadline she has “in my mind I have five or six seasons” planned for the future. It’s not clear when season two will return to our screens, but September 2021 would be a good guess, marking a whole year since the show's first outing.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan

Power Book III
Starz

Love him or hate him, Kanan Stark is one of the most captivating figures in the Power franchise. Power Book III: Raising Kanan is the second spin-off series being worked on by Starz and is a prequel set in the 1990s following a young Kanan, played by Mekai Curtis. Although a full description for the show hasn’t been released as of yet, we already know Kanan taught Ghost and Tommy how to build an empire from the streets. So there’s plenty of backstory to be explored in the years up until he was arrested thanks to Ghost’s anonymous tip to the police.

Just because Raising Kanan is a prequel doesn’t mean fans can’t expect some crossover with the other Power shows. Since 50 Cent’s character is one of the most memorable in the main series, Kemp also explained to Deadline how she’s open to the idea of the star returning to reprise his role in the spin-offs at some point, “it would be great to have 50 in as much as we can and make sure that there’s room for Raising Kanan to really succeed.”

While no official release date has been announced, the first teaser for Power Book III: Raising Kanan confirmed that it has a summer 2021 release date.

Power Book IV: Force

Tommy Egan in Power
Starz

Tommy Egan has always been a fan-favourite anti-hero in the show, and the reaction to his surprise return during the Power Book II: Ghost finale just proves how successful his solo series might be. The third spin-off, Power Book IV: Force will see Joseph Sikora’s Tommy leave New York once again in an attempt to start his own drug business.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Sikora explained Tommy’s own arrogance could get in the way of his success, saying, “I think that it’s going to take all facets of Tommy that we’ve built up to until now to not only survive but to potentially thrive — and to potentially leave.”

He added, “You don’t know if it’s going to be one city and then another city and if he’s going to keep bopping or what connections need to be made. But what does need to happen is that we need to see how fast or how slow Tommy analyses and adapts to a new situation.”

Showrunner and creator Courtney A. Kemp told Deadline production begins this year, meaning at the earliest Power Book IV: Force could arrive late 2021 or during the first quarter of 2022.

Power Book V: Influence

Rashad Tate in Power
Starz

Although the spin-off series focusing on corrupt official Rashad Tate was originally set to arrive before Force, it seems Tommy Egan’s solo adventures were more of a priority for Starz, being bumped up to Book IV. So for the moment, the distant future of the franchise lies with Power Book V: Influence.

Not much is known about the series, only that it will see Tate (played by Larenz Tate) continue his ruthless climb to the top of the political ladder. When audiences last saw the former police officer, he had been endorsed as Governor before dumping Cassandra Haynes. Tate later denied knowing James St Patrick during a minor appearance in Power Book II: Ghost so that it looks like he has no criminal connections which could tarnish his career.

Since Power Book V: Influence was pushed back in favour of Force, it seems likely that the series will go into production towards the end of 2021 with a potential mid to late 2022 release.

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Read our guide to upcoming TV shows in 2021, or check out our full TV Guide

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