Starz Renews 'Power' for Seasons 4 and 5
Jessica Miglio/Starz
'Power'
The pay cabler has renewed the drama for seasons four and five, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The pickup comes days after the season-three premiere drew record eyeballs with 2.26 million live-plus-same-day viewers. The rise in viewership also was a promising sign for Starz as Power was the network's first original series to make the move from Saturday to Sunday evenings in a bid to compete with pay cablers HBO and Showtime.
Creator Courtney A. Kemp executive produces with Mark
Canton, Randall Emmett, Gary Lennon and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, who
also co-stars on the series, which is toplined by Omari Hardwick.
“In today’s content landscape, it is challenging for a
series to stand out, but Courtney is a singular voice working in
television today. In Curtis, we not only have an immense talent, but an
executive producer who brings a unique perspective, an authentic voice
and passionate fan base that has helped in a large part propel the
success of the series," Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht said
Tuesday in a statement. "Along with our executive producers and the
talented Power cast and crew, they have created one of the most
distinct dramas I’ve ever had the good fortune of putting on the air.
The fans have let it be known loud and clear that they cannot get enough
of Ghost, Tommy, Tasha, Angela and Kanan.”
In addition to the two-season renewal, Starz also has overall deals with both Kemp and Jackson.
"Chris Albrecht and the Starz team have believed in this show from the very beginning. Everyone here at Power
is deeply grateful for the tremendous support we have received from the
fans of the show, which made today's announcement possible," said Kemp.
"I am humbled by this vote of confidence from the network and the
opportunity to continue to employ our excellent cast and crew, who work
tirelessly to bring this show to life.”
Added Jackson: “I knew Power was going to be
something special from the first concept meeting I had with Mark Canton.
The fans' support for the show has been the driving force of its
success and I can't wait to bring them two more seasons full of action
and suspense.”
Last month, Starz gave a two-season renewal to hit drama Outlander for seasons three and four. Other original series at the network include Black Sails, The Missing and The Girlfriend Experience.
For Jackson, Power is one of several forays into TV. He exec produced the unscripted series Dream School for SundanceTV in 2013 and is currently working on a variety series for A+E that he will host and exec produce.
The Power renewal also comes after weeks after Lionsgate agreed to acquire Starz for $4.4 billion.
