The Power Universe’s Official Fifth Series Will Redefine The Franchise

The next Power show has the chance to redefine the entire franchise with a fresh new take on the acclaimed gangster series. The gangster movie has been a multiplex staple since the early days of cinema, but the gangster TV show is a very different beast. Gangster movies evolved from early anti-crime morality tales like The Public Enemy and White Heat into more sympathetic, morally ambiguous stories like The Godfather trilogy.

Movies like Scarface and Goodfellas took things even further, making their gangster antiheroes arguably as sympathetic as the cops chasing them. It was this twist that inspired the TV institution that is the gangster TV show, a genre pioneered by the all-time classic HBO show The Sopranos. Although The Sopranos is now seen as one of the best gangster shows ever made, it is worth noting that its depiction of a sullen, suburban mob boss was a subversive deconstruction of the typical drug kingpin image of the era.

The fact that Tony Soprano was such a relatable, human, and unspectacular figure was what made the show innovative, and The Wire built on this by humanizing low-level drug dealers in a similar fashion. In the years that followed, Boardwalk Empire, Peaky Blinders, and Narcos re-established the mythos around gangsters, with these period dramas turning mob bosses back into amoral, untouchable figures. This set the stage perfectly for the Starz franchise Power and, in particular, its upcoming prequel, Power: Origins.

Power: Origins Has The Power To Redefine The Entire Franchise After 4 Shows

Across six seasons and 63 episodes, Power tells the story of Omari Hardwick’s unflappable mob boss James St. Patrick, or ‘Ghost.’ An unstoppable force in the business of drug dealing, Ghost hopes to become a legitimate nightclub owner when the show’s story begins, but his life is far too complicated to facilitate this change. From his business partner, Tommy Egan, to his former friend turned rival crime boss Kanan Stark, Ghost is surrounded by walking, talking complications determined to drag him back into the dirty business of drug dealing.

Produced by Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, Power was both a critical and commercial hit throughout its run. The show’s success prompted a British imitator in Fightland, as well as no less than three official spinoffs, including the sequel series Power Book II: Ghost, the prequel Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force, a follow-up focused on Tommy Egan’s eventual reign in Chicago.

Power Book II: Ghost debuted in 2020 and lasted until 2024, airing four seasons, while Book III: Raising Kanan debuted in 2021 and lasted for five seasons until its cancellation in 2024. Although Power Book IV: Force ended its three-season run in early 2026, that doesn’t mark the end of the franchise as a whole. On the contrary, the upcoming spinoff Power: Origins promises to be the most transformative moment of the franchise so far.

What We Know About Power: Origins So Far

Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic

The fourth spinoff from Power, Power: Origins marks the franchise’s second prequel after Book III: Raising Kanan. Set between the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, Power: Origins will focus on Tommy and Ghost’s shared youth.

A synopsis from Starz promises that the show will be a “fun, rambunctious exploration of… the unbridled audacity of young men on the rise.” Spence Moore II stars as the young Ghost, while Charlie Mann stars as the young Tommy and Mekai Curtis reprises his role from Book III: Raising Kanan as the young Kanan.

While all the franchise’s shows are an enjoyable must-watch, the news of this spinoff’s lighter tone will be a welcome change. Power: Origins promises to be a fun revival of the Power franchise and a welcome nostalgic throwback to the ‘00s, grounding the heroes of the franchise with a sympathetic look at their early years.

Release Date

2014 – 2020-00-00

Directors

Hernán Otaño, Bart Wenrich, Kari Skogland, Sanford Bookstaver, Shana Stein, Kieron Hawkes, Slick Naim, Ami Canaan Mann, Anthony Hemingway, David Rodriguez, M.J. Bassett, Mario Van Peebles, Rob Hardy, Stefan Schwartz, 50 Cent

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  Omari Hardwick

  James ‘Ghost’ St. Patrick