Why Power Book V Was Canceled, Explained

In August 2022, fans of the popular Starz crime drama Power were shocked to learn that the network had suddenly canceled Power Book V: Influence. The announcement was made by the newly appointed president of original programming, Kathryn Busby, who informed Variety that the fifth Power series will not be moving forward. At the time, Busby suggested the network was focusing on more female-driven content, leaving Power Book V: Influence with little room on the Starz production slate despite the popularity and critical acclaim of the franchise.

By late 2023, it was suggested that Power Book V: Influence was possibly canceled due to a prominent plotline involving Rashad Tate (Larenz Tate) featured in Power Book II: Ghost. Depicted throughout the Power franchise, Rashad Tate is a corrupt and influential politician with designs on becoming the powerful governor of New York City. Tate’s dramatic arc was expected to continue in Power Book V: Influence, but now that the fourth spin-off has been canceled, rumors of a new London-set Power spin-off have come about. With all the confusion swirling around, it’s time to clear up the facts and discover why Power Book V: Influence has been canceled by Starz and what it means for the future of the franchise.

What is the Power Franchise?

Created by Courtney A. Kemp in conjunction with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Power is a highly acclaimed Starz Original series and mega-popular TV crime drama that ran on Starz for six seasons. The drama follows James St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick), a charismatic yet cutthroat New York drug dealer attempting to go legit by opening a legal nightclub. Also known as Ghost, St. Patrick works both sides of the law and uses his vast connections to wield influence over the New York crime scene.

While St. Patrick’s screen time decreases throughout the series, Power has spawned three popular TV spin-offs, including Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book V: Force. A fifth spin-off entitled Power Book V: Influence was announced, with plans to focus the narrative on the recurring character Rashad Tate, a corrupt politician who goes from an enemy in Power to more of an antihero in Power Book II: Ghost. Now that Influence is no longer on the Starz production slate, fans are still left scratching their heads as to why.

Busby’s Mission Statement

Once Busby took over programming for Starz, the new president focused on Outlander and Power, two of the network’s most-viewed TV shows. After describing both shows to Variety as “monsters” for their cultural impact, Busby confirmed that the network canceled Power Book V: Influence. Busby also confirmed that a 7th Season of Outlander had been ordered along with its first spin-off, Outlander: Blood of My Blood.

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Busby went on to explain that the success of Outlander, especially among female viewers, began to dictate the network’s upcoming slate of scripted programming. As Starz began devoting more time, energy, and resources to excellent female-driven shows like The Serpent Queen, Dangerous Liaisons, and P-Valley, Power Book V became less of a priority and began to lose steam. Busby equated P-Valley with the dramatic impact of HBO’s The Wire and continued to support female-driven projects, including Ava DuVernay’s upcoming romantic comedy series.

As Busby tells Variety:

“As a black woman, I didn’t feel that I was on the screen. I didn’t feel that people like me were on the screen. And so I’ve always wanted to be in a place that championed underrepresented voices.”

Although Power is a TV franchise that focuses on strong Black characters, Power Book V: Influence would have concentrated on the male character of Rashad Tate and his illegal political maneuvering. Given Busby’s newfound mission statement, it would seem as though Power Book V: Influence didn’t fit into the creative direction Busby has been steering the network toward. The mega-popularity and critical acclaim of Power and its three spin-offs have left fans wondering why such a hit show could be abruptly abandoned by Starz. Fortunately, some more information came to light in 2023.

Power Book II: Ghost May Have Already Wrapped Up Tate’s Arc

According to Screen Rant in November 2023, Rashad Tate’s conclusive story arc in Power Book II: Ghost may have directly informed Starz to cancel Power Book V: Influence. When Tate is introduced in Season 4 of the great recent crime show, he meets Ghost in his nightclub Truth. Ghost is warned not to trust the dirty politician, but Ghost decides to work with Tate anyway. Ghost is rewarded when Tate warns him not to avenge Raina’s murderer, Ray-Ray, and insists on cleaning up the mess for him.

By Season 5 of Power, Tate becomes Ghost’s primary antagonist, setting up an even more substantial character arc in Power Book II: Ghost. Desperate to distance himself from Ghost’s criminal endeavors to climb the political ranks, Tate lies about his connection to St. Patrick in Power Book II. In his career-driven quest to become New York’s official governor, Tate betrays his allies and loved ones several times and is responsible for the murder of at least four prominent characters in the Power franchise. Although Tate makes a slight turn toward allyship with Ghost in Season 6, he sets out to take Ghost’s life by the end of the series.

Once Tate could not incarcerate Ghost, Tate’s primary goal was to kill him. While Tate didn’t take the protagonist’s life, Tate orchestrated the events that led to Ghost’s demise at the end of Power. Ghost returns posthumously in Power Book II: Ghost, where Tate’s arc is ultimately concluded in enough of a satisfying manner that Power Book V: Influence was deemed unnecessary at best and superfluous at worst by Starz. Instead of continuing Tate’s political corruption in Influence, the network had seemingly decided that it might be best to leave Tate where his character ended in Power Book II and pulled the plug on Power Book V.

What About the Future of the Power Franchise?

While Power Book V: Influence will not be moving ahead at Starz, fans of the underrated gangster TV show are still left wondering where the franchise goes from here. Although nothing is definitive at this point, Deadline reported in 2022 that a potential London-set Power spin-off might be on the cards for Starz. While Busby would neither deny nor confirm the reports, moving the series overseas could reinvigorate fan enthusiasm for the potential spin-off.

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According to Busby:

“I am not at liberty to answer anything in that vein except to say what we love about
Power
is the potential to spinoff and to spinoff successfully which we have done. Which in theory, we would love to do again. I love that you’re hearing it.”

Since Busby’s announcement in 2022, no new developments of a London-based Power spin-off have been made public. However, it’s worth noting that Power Book II: Raising Kanan continues to air on Starz and recently concluded Season 3 on February 9, 2024. A fourth season has been renewed, although no release date has been given. Meanwhile, Power Book IV:Force recently concluded Season 2 in November 2023 and has also been renewed for Season 3. Stream Power on Starz.