‘Power Book II: Ghost’ To End With Season 4

Fans of the “Power” franchise are losing Ghost again—but this time, it’s the series.

Starz has canceled Power Book II: Ghost with the show’s fourth season to serve as its final. It will be broken into two parts with the first premiering on June 7 and the second on September 6.

This move was prefaced by Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsh this week when he revealed plans to contain content costs by developing more new shows versus sustaining series longer as they become more expensive.

He said while using the “Power” franchise as an example, “You look at the [Power] map and say, ‘OK, if I take one of those characters out and spin one of those out, I can bring that on to replace the Power show at half the cost.’ Now I’m putting a lot of money right to the bottom line. And I’m really not losing anything in terms of acquisition costs and subscriber viewership, because we know what those demos want. And we know how to line those up. And so that’s really the core of getting to that 20% [margin] — turning that slate over with fresh content to drive the business.”

Everything is playing out as he revealed. Yesterday, Starz announced plans for a new prequel series following everyone’s favorite Power duo, Ghost and Tommy. The series will be in the same vein of Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Today, Ghost is dead.

Power Book II was the obvious choice when guessing which show would be cut first if you look at the show’s star-filled ensemble. Michael Rainey Jr., son of Ghost (played by Omari Hardwick in the mothership series), is one of the last remaining original members of the franchise; then you have musical powerhouses Mary J. Blige and Cliff “Method Man” Smith; and Larenz Tate, who has been booked and busy since the 80s, and that’s to only mention a few.

The series was the first spinoff to come from Power and it follows Ghost’s son who, after killing his father and covering up, attempts to start fresh and far from his father’s criminal empire but is dragged back into it when his mother (Naturi Naughton) is convicted of Ghost‘s murder.

Stars also include Gianni Paolo as “Brayden Weston,” Woody McClain as “Cane Tejada,” Lovell Adams-Gray as “Dru Tejada,” LaToya Tonodeo as “Diana Tejada,” Alix Lapri as “Effie Morales,” Larenz Tate as “Rashad Tate,” Caroline Chikezie as “Noma,” Lightskinkeisha as “Brushaundria Carmichael” and Michael Ealy as “Detective Don Carter.”

“This explosive season of Ghost is a fitting crescendo in a decade of an immensely popular franchise – fans will not be disappointed,” Kathryn Busby, President of Programming for Starz said in a statement. “While this marks the conclusion of one chapter, our commitment to the ‘Power’ universe endures with more compelling storytelling on the horizon.”

Starz teases Season 4 will find Tariq St. Patrick (Rainey Jr.) and Brayden Weston (Paolo) against the world as they form new alliances and find their way back into the game. But when Brayden starts flirting with a new, reckless lifestyle, Tariq wonders if there really is room for two at the top. 

Monet (Blige) may have finally met her maker, but she has no idea who’s behind it. Davis (Method Man), suspended and pending disbarment in the wake of his brother’s death, fully embraces the criminal side of his enterprise and finds himself working for both sides — his loyalty dependent on whichever will benefit him most. Faced with the reality that life can end in just a few ways, Effie (Alix Lapri) buckles down on getting out and securing a legit future at Stanford. 

After last season’s betrayal, Diana (LaToya Tonodeo) and Dru (Lovell Adams-Gray) question their roles in the game and the family business, while Cane (Woody McClain) sees an opportunity to level up when he starts working for Noma (Caroline Chikezie). As Noma fights to establish her business in the States, she also tries to keep a close eye on her bratty daughter, Anya, who is now on Tariq and Brayden’s radar. With the fate of his future in the game and his family at the forefront, Tariq must reconcile his past to rise to the top of the food chain and become who he needs to be to protect those he loves most.

Brett Mahoney serves as showrunner and executive producer for season four. The “Power” Universe series is executive produced by the creator and showrunner of the original Power, Courtney A. Kemp through her production company End of Episode, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson through G-Unit Film and Television and Mark Canton through Canton Entertainment. Lionsgate Television produces the series for Starz. 

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To wit, Power Book III: Raising Kanan is now shooting its fourth season and the end could also be near following the news of the new spinoff Origins. However, Origins could also be a vehicle for the character of Kanan to continue as Tommy and Ghost’s first interaction with the villainous character could happen in the new season leaving Kanan able to crossover.

Power Book IV: Force, starring present-day Tommy (Joseph Sikora) is currently shooting its third season in Chicago. They would need one series in present-day to continue the story, hypothetically, but there have also been conversations for years about expanding the franchise into London which could essentially create endless spinoff possibilities or expansions into other cities. With that being said, Deadline understands there are no plans to end the “Power” Universe at this time.

Fans have expressed their displeasure at all these changes but I may have an idea as to what would make them (us) happy. Bring back Hardwick to narrate Origin.