Jump to content

Power (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 173.213.212.233 (talk) at 12:48, 3 August 2018 (→‎Main characters). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Not to be confused with Powers (U.S. TV series) or Powers (UK TV series).
Power
File:Power Opening Title.jpg
GenreCrime drama
Created byCourtney A. Kemp
Directed by50 Cent
Michael Rainey Jr.
Starring
Opening theme"Big Rich Town"
Composers50 Cent
Joe
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes44—45 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locationNew York City
Running time48–61 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkStarz
ReleaseJune 7, 2014 (2014-06-07) –
present

Power is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Courtney A. Kemp. It originally aired on the Starz network on June 7, 2014, and has run for five seasons.[1][2]

It tells the story of James St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick), a ruthless drug-dealer under the nickname "Ghost", who wishes to leave the criminal world in order to support his legitimate business interests as a nightclub owner. James aims to balance these two lives, while avoiding police capture, and looks to resolve his personal life as his marriage crumbles. The show is set and filmed in New York City.

The show also features James' family, which consists of his wife Tasha (Naturi Naughton) and son, Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.). The show also stars James' partner Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora), love interest Angela Valdes (Lela Loren), and rival drug-dealer Kanan Stark (50 Cent), while introducing the characters Joe Proctor (Jerry Ferrara) and John Mak (Sung Kang) in the show's later seasons.

Upon release, Power has gained critical acclaim for its characterization, pacing, atmosphere, acting, directing, and writing.[3][4] It has also become a ratings hit for Starz, regularly featuring as one of the network's most-watched cable shows.[5][6] Prior to the premiere of the fifth season, Starz renewed the show for a sixth season, set to air in 2019.[7]

Cast and characters

Main characters

  • Omari Hardwick as James "Ghost" St. Patrick , a high-level drug distributor and nightclub owner. He has an affair with his childhood girlfriend and temporarily leaves his wife for her and tries to go legit but is forced back in his activities by crime bosses. In season 4, he was framed for the death of Greg Knox and while imprisoned he kills a bully guard but Tommy's imprisoned father helps cover it up in exchange to speak with Tommy. Ghost is released once Mike Sandoval is revealed to be the culprit. He tries to make amends with his family for his affair but he is derailed with his son's kidnapping by Kanan's hands and his daughter's death. During Season 5, he spirals out of control and blames those around him in his grief turning to both his club and criminal business as well as affairs with other women to cope.
  • Joseph Sikora as Tommy Egan, Ghost's partner and life-long friend who is seen as a honorary member of his family. He had a relationship with Holly Weaver but Ghost didn't trust and sent her off though Tommy reconciled with and a rift formed between himself and Ghost. The bond is repaired but Tommy kills Holly after hearing she tried to have him and Tariq killed. During Season 3, Tommy takes on a more darker persona after being put under Milan's tutelage and starts to develops a mindset like Ghost while combining it with his brute tactics. In Season 4, Tommy later learns from Tasha that Holly was pregnant at the time of her death and was devastated at this, which led to him distancing himself from everyone. Tommy also learns of his father Tony Teresi, a mobster who was imprisoned and helped Ghost in jail to cover up a guard's murder to contact Tommy.
  • Lela Loren as Angela Valdez, an Assistant United States Attorney tasked with hunting Ghost and James' love interest. Initially unaware of James's criminal past, she dates him believing him to be a legitimate nightclub owner. While investigating the Lobos cartel, she discovers james true identity, and has compromised her career as an attorney to protect him. Even after arresting Ghost for what she believes to be the murder of ex-boyfriend & FBI Agent Greg Knox, she then testifies against her colleagues in order to free him. She also investigates the death of Ghost's daughter.
  • Naturi Naughton as Tasha St. Patrick, James' wife and criminal accomplice. Following her husband's affair, she has an affair of her own with Shawn to spite him. However, she and James briefly rekindle their romance before he is arrested. In season 4, with James arrested she slowly resents him but after his release, she had an affair with his lawyer Terry and planned to leave her husband and go legit (ironically mimicking James' actions) but her plans are derailed with her daughter's death. During Season 5, she tries to cope with her loss while also trying to handle her husband's change.
  • 50 Cent as Kanan Stark, a fellow drug dealer and Ghost's former mentor. At the series onset, he is in prison serving a lengthy sentence for drug trafficking, but still has connections to the streets and provides Ghost with intel. It is later revealed Kanan is out for revenge against Ghost, believing Ghost had him sent to jail (which is later confirmed to be true.) Kanan & Ghost have a brutal fistfight in which Ghost leaves Kanan in a burning building, leaving him for dead. Kanan recovers and eventually seduces Tariq, Ghost's son, into a life of crime. He is the father of Shawn.
  • Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq St. Patrick, James' son who later enters the drug business under the nickname "Ghost, Jr."
  • Jerry Ferrara as Joe Proctor, a criminal attorney who frequently works with Ghost and Tommy.
  • Sung Kang as John Mak, a high profile attorney who leads the case against Ghost.
  • La La Anthony as LaKeisha Grant, Tasha's friend, who later launders money for and begins a relationship with Tommy.
  • Rotimi Akinosho as Andre "Dre" Coleman, a low-profile street dealer who wishes to grow. He works with both Ghost and Kanan.
  • Larenz Tate as Rashad Tate, a dirty councilman who works with James.
  • Matt Cedeño as Diego "Cristobal" Martinez, another high-profile drug dealer and Dre's associate.
  • Brandon Victor Dixon as Terry Silver, another criminal attorney who works with Proctor and his clients. He later starts an affair with Tasha after they spend time together but he becomes suspicious of her family and her as well.
  • David Fumero as Miguel "Mike" Sandoval, a dirty cop who works with Lobos and attorney assigned to the Ghost case. He kills Greg and spends of the fourth season to frame James but Angela uncovers his corruption, leading to his exposure but he is killed by Tony Teresi's connection. Angela goes to his corpse and states that was for Greg.
  • Andy Bean as Greg Knox, another attorney assigned to the Ghost case and Angela's former love interest. He is killed by Mike Sandoval after learning his corruption.
  • J.R. Ramirez as Julio Romano, one of Ghost's most trusted lieutenants.
  • William Sadler as Tony Teresi, a prison mobster inmate who is later revealed to be Tommy's father. He blackmails James after learning he is Ghost and his connection to Tommy. Tony has James make Tommy deliver money for his ill wife's medical needs and his friend confirm to him that Tommy is his son. James manages to find dirt on Tony to get him to back off, though Tony decides to get even and has an inmate that attempted to bully James and a corrupt guard try to kill James. After James kills the guard, Tony reneges on his plan by turning on the inmate and helping James cover it up in exchange to speak with Tommy. He makes contact with his son and gets him to visit him. In season 5, it is revealed Tony made contact with his son so the feds would get interested to make him a deal for release if he gets info on his son and James. With that his life sentence is thrown out and he is released, he reunites with his wife and only tells her of his deal though Tommy and his mob friends are suspicious of his sudden release.
  • Shane Johnson as Cooper Saxe, a fellow attorney and Angela's colleague also assigned to the Ghost case.

Recurring characters

  • Elizabeth Rodriguez as Paz, Angela's sister who maintains a dislike for James.
  • Lucy Walters as Holly Weaver, Tommy's initial love interest and former Truth employee.
  • Donshea Hopkins as Raina St. Patrick (season 1—5), James and Tasha's daughter and second-oldest child.
  • Luis Antonio Ramos as Carlos "Vibora" Ruiz, another drug dealer who builds a strong working relationship with Ghost.
  • Enrique Murciano as Felipe Lobos, an international drug supplier who works with Ghost and Tommy.
  • Victor Garber as Simon Stern, a rival nightclub owner.
  • Lee Tergesen as Bailey Markham, another drug supplier who works solely with Tommy.
  • Bill Sage as Sammy, an Irish gangster who works with Tommy.
  • Anika Noni Rose as Laverne "Jukebox" Ganner (season 3—4), a dirty cop and Kanan's cousin.
  • Greg Serano as Juan Medina, a DEA agent assigned to the Ghost case, who works frequently with Greg.
  • Maurice Compte as Diego Jiménez, a rival drug supplier and one of the leaders of the Jiménez cartel.
  • Ana de la Reguera as Alicia Jimenez, Diego's sister and one of the leaders of the Jiménz cartel.
  • Quincy Tyler Bernstine as Tameika Robinson, the leader of the United States Department of Justice.
  • Patricia Kalember as Kate Egan, Tommy's mother.
  • Adam Huss as Josh Kantos, a former cop who works at Truth. He briefly worked for Simon Stern and was promised control of the club if he turned against James. James reclaimed his club and fired Josh who went to work for new club owners before James got them arrested but he rehired Josh if he stayed loyal.
  • Franky G as Poncho, one of Tommy's most trusted lieutenants.
  • Garcelle Beauvais as Linda, a prospective investor into James and Rashad's housing project.
  • Debbi Morgan as Estelle, Tasha's mother.
  • Kendrick Lamar as Laces (season 5), a Dominican crackhead who assists Kanan in bringing down members of the Tainos.

Episodes

Main article: List of Power episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
18June 7, 2014 (2014-06-07)August 2, 2014 (2014-08-02)
210June 6, 2015 (2015-06-06)August 15, 2015 (2015-08-15)
310July 17, 2016 (2016-07-17)September 25, 2016 (2016-09-25)
410June 25, 2017 (2017-06-25)September 3, 2017 (2017-09-03)
510July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01)September 9, 2018 (2018-09-09)
615August 25, 2019 (2019-08-25)February 9, 2020 (2020-02-09)

Broadcast

In Australia, all episodes are available to stream after their US airing on Stan.[8] The show is available weekly after its US airing on Netflix in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[9][10][11] In Scandinavia and Finland, all episodes are available to stream on HBO Nordic.[12]

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2015
 Women's Image Network Awards[13] Actress Drama Series Naturi Naughton Nominated
Outstanding Show Written by a Woman Courtney A. Kemp Nominated
2016
 47th NAACP Image Awards[14] Outstanding Drama Series Power Nominated
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Omari Hardwick Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Naturi Naughton Nominated
NAMIC Vision Awards[15] Best Performance - Drama Naturi Naughton Nominated
Best Performance - Drama Omari Hardwick Won
Women's Image Network Awards[16] Actress Drama Series Naturi Naughton Nominated
2017
 48th NAACP Image Awards[17] Outstanding Drama Series Power Nominated
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Omari Hardwick Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Naturi Naughton Won
Black Reel Awards for Television[18] Outstanding Drama Series Power Nominated
People's Choice Awards[19] Favorite Premium Drama Series Power Nominated
2018
 49th NAACP Image Awards[20] Outstanding Drama Series Power Won
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Omari Hardwick Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Naturi Naughton Won
Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series) Michael Rainey Jr. Nominated
Black Reel Awards for Television[21] Outstanding Actor, Drama Series Omari Hardwick Nominated
NAMIC Vision Awards[22] Best Performance – Drama 50 Cent Nominated
Best Performance – Drama Michael Rainey Jr. Nominated
Drama Power Nominated

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

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.[23] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the season a rating of 44%, based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's consensus states, "Power suffers from excessive plotting and the use of overly familiar by-the-numbers story elements."[24]

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."[25] 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."[26] Critic Brian Lowry of Variety 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.[27]

Season 2

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the season a rating of 100%, based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[28] 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.[29]

References

  1. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Starz Sets Premiere Date For Drama 'Power', Releases Key Art, Theme Song By 50 Cent". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  2. ^ Bibel, Sara (June 14, 2013). "Starz Greenlights Drama 'Power' From Executive Producer Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  3. ^ Latinos Post Staff (September 10, 2015). "'Power' Season 3: Release Date, Cast, Plot, Rumors & Everything We Know So Far Here!". Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  4. ^ "'Power' Gets Season 4 Premiere Date".,
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 11, 2014). "Starz's 'Power' Renewed For Season 2". Deadline. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  6. ^ "Shows A-Z - power on starz". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  7. ^ Petski, Denise (March 13, 2018). "'Power' Renewed For Season 6 On Starz; Gets Season 5 Premiere Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  8. ^ Knox, David (June 15, 2015). "Stan adding Power, Ash vs Evil Dead, Flesh & Bone". TVTonight. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  9. ^ Szalai, Georg (June 9, 2014). "The first episode of the show from Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is available on Amazon, iTunes and other platforms Monday with a linear TV run in Britain still possible as Starz is holding out for a price tag it feels the show deserves". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  10. ^ White, Peter (June 9, 2014). "50 Cent drug drama gets digital release". Broadcast Now. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  11. ^ "Power". Netflix Media Center.
  12. ^ "HBO Nordic". www.hbonordic.com.
  13. ^ "Women's Image Network Awards 2015". August 3, 2018.
  14. ^ "2016 Image Winners". Variety. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  15. ^ "22ND ANNUAL NAMIC VISION AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED" (PDF). August 3, 2018.
  16. ^ "Women's Image Network Awards 2016". August 3, 2018.
  17. ^ Kinane, Ruth (December 13, 2016). "Beyonce leads the pack of 2017 NAACP Image Award Nominees". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  18. ^ "BLACK*ISH PACES THE BLACK REEL AWARDS FOR TELEVISION FIELD". August 3, 2018.
  19. ^ "People's Choice Awards Nominations Are Here: Find Out How to Vote for Your Favorites". August 3, 2018. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  20. ^ "NAACP - Nominees Announced for 49th NAACP Image Awards". 20 November 2017.
  21. ^ "VOTERS ARE "SWEET" ON QUEEN SUGAR". August 3, 2018.
  22. ^ "2018 NAMIC Vision Awards Nominees". August 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "Power: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive (CBS Corporation). Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  24. ^ "Power: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  25. ^ Goodman, Tim (June 6, 2014). "'Power': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  26. ^ New York Daily News Staff (June 5, 2015). "'Power' review: Omari Hardwick's drug-lord drama is right up there with 'Empire'". Daily News. New York. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  27. ^ Lowry, Brian (June 4, 2014). "TV Review: 'Power'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  28. ^ "Power: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  29. ^ "Power: Season 2". Metacritic. CBS Interactive (CBS Corporation). Retrieved December 30, 2015.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Power_(TV_series)&oldid=853252587"