Upon release, Power gained positive reviews and is one of Starz's highest-rated shows and one of cable's most-watched shows.[2][3] Prior to the fifth-season premiere, Starz renewed the show for a sixth and final season, which premiered on August 25, 2019.[4][5]
Power tells the story of James St. Patrick, an intelligent, smooth yet ruthless drug dealer who goes by the alias of "Ghost." He wishes to leave the criminal world to pursue legitimate business interests as a nightclub owner. St. Patrick aims to balance those two lives, while also avoiding police capture, trying to navigate his crumbling marriage and manage shifting economic alliances.
The show features James' family, which consists of his wife Tasha, twins Tariq and Raina and baby Yasmine. Power also follows James' criminal partner and best friend Tommy Egan, love interest and criminal prosecutor Angela Valdes, friend-turned-rival Kanan Stark, protege and rival Andre Coleman, and Angela's colleague, Cooper Saxe. Defense attorney Joe Proctor, district attorney John Mak and politician Rashad Tate also appear in the show's later seasons.
Power utilizes episodic cliff hangers as plot devices to carry its story forward.
Omari Hardwick as James "Ghost" St. Patrick, a high-level drug distributor and nightclub owner. A smart, well dressed and calculated man, yet will not hesitate to kill if necessary. He is married to Tasha, is the father of Tariq, Raina, and Yasmine St. Patrick, and is also romantically involved with AUSA Angela Valdes.
Joseph SikoraasThomas "Tommy" Egan, Ghost's hot headed partner, best friend, and the godfather to his children. Egan is seen as an honorary member of his family.
Lela LorenasAngela Valdes, an Assistant United States Attorney tasked with prosecuting Ghost unaware of his real identity. She went to the same high school as St. Patrick and Egan. She is St. Patrick's love interest and mistress.
Naturi Naughton as Tasha St. Patrick (née Green), Ghost's wife and criminal accomplice. She has romantic affairs with Kanan's son Shawn and attorney Terry Silver. She is also Q's new love interest.
Curtis JacksonasKanan Stark, a fellow drug dealer and Ghost's and Tommy's former mentor-turned rival. Prior to the events of the series, he was set up by Ghost and Tasha to go to prison for ten years.
Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq James St. Patrick, Tasha and James's son. An honor student, he has a strained relationship with James/Ghost because of his marriage-ending relationship with Angela and lying about being involved in the drug game and being mentored by Kanan. Tariq has two sisters: a twin, Raina St. Patrick, who is later murdered by a crooked police officer, named Raymond "Ray Ray" Jones, when Tariq was involved in pulling home invasion robberies with Kanan and Ray Ray; and a younger sister, Yasmine St. Patrick.
La La Anthony as Lakeisha Grant, Tasha's friend and criminal accomplice. She is a hairstylist and business owner. She becomes Tommy's love interest in the later seasons.
Rotimi Akinosho as Andre "Dre" Coleman, a low-profile and ambitious drug dealer. He works with both Ghost and Kanan and eventually becomes a major player under Alicia Jiménez.
Shane Johnson as Cooper Saxe, a fellow attorney and Angela's colleague also assigned to the Ghost case.
Jerry Ferrara as Joseph "Joe" Proctor, a criminal attorney who frequently represents Ghost and Tommy.
Sinqua Walls as Shawn Stark, Kanan's son who is also the personal chauffeur and loyal bodyguard of Ghost. But he starts an affair with Tasha.
Sung Kang as John Mak, an Assistant U.S. attorney who leads the case in the murder of FBI agent Greg Knox.
Larenz Tate as Rashad Tate, a New York City councilman who is running for governor of New York. Tate uses James for PR for his campaign, as St. Patrick is viewed as an inspiration to potential urban voters. Tate is a former police officer and frequently participates in corruption.
J. R. Ramirez as Julio Moreno, Ghost and Tommy's right-hand man and a former Toros Locos gang member.
Matt Cedeno as Diego "Cristobal" Martinez, Dre's best friend and a head of the Hermanos Tainos.
William Sadler as Anthony "Tony" Teresi, an incarcerated Italian-American gangster and caporegime in the Mosconi crime family. He is the father of Tommy Egan.
Lucy Walters as Holly, a petty criminal and waitress at Truth and the love interest to Tommy.
Andy Bean as Gregory "Greg" Knox, an FBI agent assigned to the Ghost/Lobos case and Angela's former love interest.
David Fumero as Miguel "Mike" Sandoval, a corrupt FBI Assistant U.S. Attorney.
In Australia, all episodes are available to stream after their US airing on Stan.[6] The show is available weekly after its US airing on Netflix in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[7][8][9] In Scandinavia and Finland, all episodes are available to stream on HBO Nordic.[10]
Season 1 of Power received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Metacritic gives the season a score of 57 out of 100, based on 15 reviews, indicating a mixed reaction to the series.[25] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the season a score of 44%, based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's consensus states, "Power suffers from excessive plotting and the use of overly familiar by-the-numbers story elements."[26]
Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter observed in his review, "Power seemingly wants to be a show that tells a big, complicated, meaningful story about, well, the perils and problems of power and how one man deals with them."[27] Critic Brian Lowry ofVariety states in his review, "The three previewed episodes of the show, created by The Good Wife alumna Courtney A. Kemp, move briskly enough, but they're still only moderately compelling. And while 50 Cent's participation provides some promotional heft (he has a cameo in a later episode), the allure of such behind-the-scenes marquee names is usually limited. Mostly, this is undemanding escapism with all the requisite pay-TV trappings, along the lines of what Cinemax is offering in episodic form. While that might be a formula to keep Ghost visible for some time to come, creatively speaking, it leaves Power a touch low on juice.[28]
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the season a score of 100%, based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[29] Review aggregator Metacritic gives the season a score of 75 out of 100, based on 4 reviews, indicating a generally favorable reaction to the series.[30] The New York Daily News staff writes in their review, "Power hits on all cylinders as it returns for its second season. Throw a couple of great women into Ghost's life—his wife, Tasha (Naturi Naughton), and his recently resurfaced lifelong flame Angela (Lela Loren)—and you have drama that's hard not to keep watching."[31]
With the conclusion of the original series, it was announced that Starz had planned four upcoming spin-offs in the same universe as Power. These begin with Power Book II: Ghost, which, following shortly after the events of the original series, focuses on Ghost's son Tariq navigating his new criminal life and intending to shed his father's legacy while dealing with mounting pressure to protect his family, including his mother Tasha. The series co-stars Mary J. Blige and Method Man.[35] The other spin-offs include: Power Book III: Raising Kanan, a prequel into the life of Kanan Stark (50 Cent); Power Book IV: Force, which follows Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) originally headed to Los Angeles, California and ending up in the city of Chicago; and Power Book V: Influence, a sequel set in the political world centering on Councilman Tate's (Larenz Tate) ruthless rise to power.[36][37] The development of Power Book V: Influence was cancelled in August 2022 and the series would not be moving forward.[38] In March 2024, a prequel series, Origins, which will follow the beginning story of characters Ghost and Tommy, was confirmed to be in development.[39]
Power Book II: Ghost premiered on September 6, 2020,[40] and has aired three seasons. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a fourth season.[41]
Power Book III: Raising Kanan premiered on July 18, 2021,[37] and has aired two seasons. In August 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on December 1, 2023. In November 2023, ahead of the third season, the series was renewed for a fourth season.[42]
Power Book IV: Force premiered on February 6, 2022, and has aired two seasons.[43] In December 2023, the series was renewed for a third season.[44]
