The Power Universe (or Power franchise) is a media franchise of an American television crime drama series created by Courtney A. Kemp in collaboration with Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.[1] The franchise produced one of the highest rated shows on Starz and most watched on the cable network.[2]
| The Power Universe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | |
| Original work | Power |
| Owner | Lionsgate |
| Years | 2014–present |
| Other names | Power franchise |
| Films and television | |
| Television series |
|
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | Soundtracks |
| Original music | "Big Rich Town" by 50 Cent & Joe |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Executive producer |
|
| Distributor | Starz Distribution |
| Official website | |
Official website  | |
Television series
Four television series make up the Power Universe franchise: Power, Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force. All series in total amount to 148 episodes across 15 seasons of television.
| Series | Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Showrunner(s) | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||||
| Power | 1 | 8 | June 7, 2014 | August 2, 2014 | Courtney A. Kemp | Concluded | |
| 2 | 10 | June 6, 2015 | August 15, 2015 | ||||
| 3 | 10 | July 17, 2016 | September 25, 2016 | ||||
| 4 | 10 | June 25, 2017 | September 3, 2017 | ||||
| 5 | 10 | July 1, 2018 | September 9, 2018 | ||||
| 6 | 15 | August 25, 2019 | February 9, 2020 | ||||
| Power Book II: Ghost | 1 | 10 | September 6, 2020 | January 3, 2021 | Courtney A. Kemp | Released | |
| 2 | 10 | November 21, 2021 | February 6, 2022 | ||||
| 3 | 10 | March 17, 2023 | May 26, 2023 | Brett Mahoney | |||
| 4 | 10[3] | June 7, 2024 | October 4, 2024[3] | Airing | |||
| Power Book III: Raising Kanan | 1 | 10 | July 18, 2021 | September 26, 2021 | Sascha Penn | Released | |
| 2 | 10 | August 14, 2022 | October 23, 2022 | ||||
| 3 | 10 | December 1, 2023 | February 9, 2024 | ||||
| 4[4] | TBA | TBA | TBA | Filming[5] | |||
| 5[6] | TBA | TBA | TBA | In development | |||
| Power Book IV: Force | 1 | 10 | February 6, 2022 | April 17, 2022 | Robert Munic | Released | |
| 2 | 10 | September 1, 2023 | November 10, 2023 | Gary Lennon | |||
| 3[7] | TBA | TBA | TBA | Filming[8] | |||
| Power: Origins | 1[9] | TBA | TBA | TBA | Sascha Penn[10] | In development | |
Power (2014–2020)
James St. Patrick finds himself in trouble when he is caught between balancing two separate lives. Trying to leave his past as a smooth yet ruthless drug-dealer nicknamed "Ghost," his new goals to be a legitimate nightclub owner and to save his crumbling marriage don't come easy. As the "ghost" of his past comes to roost, James must evade the police, manage shifting economic alliances, and attempt to leave the criminal world behind.
Power Book II: Ghost (2020–2024)
Serving as a sequel to the original series, Power Book II: Ghost follows Tariq St. Patrick as he navigates a new life. With a desire to shed his father's legacy, he too finds himself entangled in the complications of drug operations and family affairs. With mounting pressure to save his family, he must learn to balance his drug operation, take on the cutthroat Tejada family, and avoid scrutiny from local and federal law enforcement.
Power Book III: Raising Kanan (2021–present)
In a prequel to the original series, Power Book III: Raising Kanan follows the journey of young Kanan Stark as he first gets into the drug-dealing game in the 1990s to his role as a major antagonist in Power.
Power Book IV: Force (2022–present)
In the second sequel spin-off to Power, Power Book IV: Force follows Tommy Egan as he leaves New York behind to try to become the greatest drug-dealer in all of Chicago.
Power: Origins
A fifth series in the Power Universe was announced to be in development at Starz on March 13, 2024.[9] The series will serve as a prequel to the original series, following the early years of Ghost and Tommy.[10]
Other series
Power Book V: Influence
The development of Power Book V: Influence was cancelled in August 2022 and the series would not be moving forward.[11]
Accolades
| Series | Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 2015 | Women's Image Network Awards[12] | Actress Drama Series | Naturi Naughton | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Show Written by a Woman | Courtney A. Kemp | Nominated | ||||
| 2016 | 47th NAACP Image Awards[13] | Outstanding Drama Series | Power | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Omari Hardwick | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Naturi Naughton | Nominated | ||||
| NAMIC Vision Awards[14] | Best Performance – Drama | Naturi Naughton | Nominated | |||
| Best Performance – Drama | Omari Hardwick | Won | ||||
| Women's Image Network Awards[15] | Actress Drama Series | Naturi Naughton | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | 48th NAACP Image Awards[16] | Outstanding Drama Series | Power | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Omari Hardwick | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Naturi Naughton | Won | ||||
| Black Reel Awards for Television[17] | Outstanding Drama Series | Power | Nominated | |||
| People's Choice Awards[18] | Favorite Premium Drama Series | Power | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | 49th NAACP Image Awards[19] | Outstanding Drama Series | Power | Won | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Omari Hardwick | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Naturi Naughton | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series) | Michael Rainey Jr. | Nominated | ||||
| Black Reel Awards for Television[20] | Outstanding Actor, Drama Series | Omari Hardwick | Nominated | |||
| NAMIC Vision Awards[21] | Best Performance – Drama | 50 Cent | Nominated | |||
| Best Performance – Drama | Michael Rainey Jr. | Nominated | ||||
| Drama | Power | Nominated | ||||
| Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA)[22] | Outstanding Music Supervision – Television | Jennifer Ross | Won | |||
| 2019 | 50th NAACP Image Awards[23] | Outstanding Drama Series | Power | Won | ||
| 34th Annual Imagen Awards[24] | Best Actress - Television | Lela Loren | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | 51st NAACP Image Awards[25] | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Omari Hardwick | Won | ||
| Power Book II: Ghost | 2021 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Power Book II: Ghost | Won | [26] |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Clifford 'Method Man' Smith Jr | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Mary J. Blige | Won | ||||
| 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Clifford 'Method Man' Smith Jr | Won | [27] | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Mary J. Blige | Won |
Theme songs
The opening themes for all four series are songs performed by the executive producer of the show, 50 Cent.
| Series | Theme song |
|---|---|
| Power | "Big Rich Town" |
| Power Book II: Ghost | |
| Power Book III: Raising Kanan | "Part of the Game" |
| Power Book IV: Force | "Power Powder Respect" |