Why 50 Cent Believes ‘Power Book 2’ Will Soar in Viewership
After the first season of Power aired on Starz, the series slowly climbed up the ranks to become one of cable’s most-watched dramas. At one point, it was second only to Game of Thrones.
Its popularity paid off for showrunner/creator Courtney Kemp who sealed a long-term deal with Starz and Lionsgate to create more content.
With spinoffs falling under that umbrella, 50 Cent is still on board as an executive producer and he’s aiming high for the Power universe. In fact, he thinks Power Book II: Ghost can potentially attract an audience that’s larger than its predecessor.
Some ‘Power’ fans hate Tariq too much to watch the spinoff
The drawn-out saga of Ghost’s shooting in Power put fans into prediction mode about Tariq’s story arc. Day one Power fans watched James St. Patrick’s journey as Ghost, Jamie, and James and all the conflict that came with that. His role as a father took plenty of hits.
Tariq’s transformation from a regular kid into a wannabe street dude polarized some viewers who felt he behaved like an ungrateful spoiled brat. His actions led to multiple deaths (including his sister’s), got his mom arrested, and set him up to be some newfangled version of his father, Ghost. Not James.
Now Tariq is the star of Power Book II: Ghost. The character received so much hate online that actor Michael Rainey Jr. had to battle death threats. Moreover, some fans vowed they wouldn’t watch a Tariq-centered spinoff. But 50 Cent doesn’t seem to be concerned.
50 Cent thinks ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ will take off
Other members of the Power fan base can’t wait for the new tale to kick off. 50 Cent recently sat down with Us Weekly to discuss the direction of the new show and compared the parallels between Tariq and Ghost’s paths.
He brought up how Ghost was torn between two worlds and for Tariq, the struggle lies in his street life and college obligations. Remember, he has to complete school in order to earn his inheritance.
With fresh characters, new challenges, and the aforementioned parallels, 50 Cent believes it’s a winning formula.
He believes those factors open up possibilities to draw in a new demographic for Power’s viewership. When asked if he thinks Tariq’s world will bring in a younger audience, he agreed.
“They’ll see themselves in the characters. When you see him having to go to university, he has to study to get his inheritance and stuff like that,” said 50 Cent. “So, it’s a different motivation but it’s the world that they would be in — going to school at that point.”
He added that a different demographic would be interested in seeing these relatable aspects of their own lives on the show. He thinks viewership may surpass that of the original series.
When can viewers watch ‘Power Book 2’?
Method Man, Mary J. Blige, and Woody McClain of The Bobby Brown Story will star alongside Rainey in Power Book II: Ghost. The series premieres on Sept. 6 at 9 p.m. and will follow a weekend-long Power marathon.
In the first episode, fans will see Ghost’s funeral and watch Tariq on his quest to hire an attorney for his mom. The hustle begins this September.
