Fans of the Power franchise are set to lose Ghost again—but this time, it’s the series as Power Book II: Ghost has been canceled by Starz, and its fourth season will be the last one. There will be two installments, with premiere dates set for June 7 and September 6.
It was announced last week by Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch, who detailed plans to reduce content costs by producing more new series rather than extending expensive ones.
With reference to the Power franchise, he said, “You look at the [Power] map and say, ‘Well, 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.’ I’m now investing a large sum of money directly into the bottom line.”
“Additionally, since we are aware of what those demos want, I am not losing any money in terms of subscriber viewership or acquisition costs. And we are aware of how to arrange those. Turning that page with new content to drive the business is fundamental to reaching that 20%.”
Starz revealed plans on Wednesday for a brand-new prequel series centered on Ghost and Tommy, everyone’s favorite Power couple. The series will follow the same format as Raising Kanan and Power Book III.
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Power Book II was an obvious choice to be the first show to be axed, especially when you consider its ensemble of stars. One of the last original cast members of the franchise is Michael Rainey Jr. He plays Tariq St. Patrick, son of Ghost (Omari Hardwick), in the Mothership series.
Then there are the musical titans Cliff “Method Man” Smith and Mary J. Blige, as well as Larenz Tate. Other stars include Gianni Paolo, Woody McClain, Lovell Adams-Gray, LaToya Tonodeo, Alix Lapri, Caroline Chikezie, Lightskinkeisha, and Michael Ealy.
Power Book III: Raising Kanan is rumored to be filming its fourth season, and with the announcement of the new spinoff Origins, its demise may also be imminent.