(Starz)

Tariq’s life is likely to get even more complicated. Power Book II: Ghost has been renewed for a third season on Starz. Brett Mahoney will serve as showrunner and production will get underway early next year. Season two is currently being released and is the highest-rated show on the cable channel after three airings.

A crime drama, Power Book II: Ghost stars Michael Rainey Jr., Mary J. Blige, Shane Johnson, Gianni Paolo, Daniel Bellomy, Paige Hurd, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Larenz Tate, Melanie Liburd, Daniel Sunjata, Berto Colon, Woody McClain, Lovell Adams-Gray, LaToya Tonodeo, Alix Lapri, and Paton Ashbrook. A sequel to the Power series, the show begins with Tariq St. Patrick (Rainey Jr.), a freshman at Stansfield University with a bright future ahead of him. He would be the embodiment of his father’s dreams, if not for the double life he’s living. In season two, Tariq is still running from a legacy that haunts him. Forced into the choice to take the life of his professor, Tariq finds himself drifting further from that which he’s been fighting to protect: his family. With his mother Tasha (Naturi Naughton) in witness protection, Tariq knows he must sacrifice anything to save what’s left of his family. 

Airing on Sunday nights, the second season of Power Book II: Ghost averages a 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 507,000 viewers in the live+same day ratings (includes all DVR playback through 3:00 AM). Compared to season one, that’s down by 24% in the demo and down by 12% in viewership in the live+same day ratings (including DVR playback through 3:00 AM). While these numbers don’t include further delayed or streaming viewing, they are a very good indicator of how a show is performing, especially when compared to others on the same channel.

Here’s the third season renewal announcement:

STARZ GREENLIGHTS THIRD SEASON OF “POWER BOOK II: GHOST” FOLLOWING RECORD-BREAKING DEBUT OF SEASON TWO

BRETT MAHONEY TO SERVE AS SHOWRUNNER FOR SEASON THREE STARTING PRODUCTION IN EARLY 2022

Santa Monica, Calif. — December 7, 2021 – STARZ Original Series “Power Book II: Ghost” has been renewed for a third season with production set to commence in early 2022. The season three renewal of the worldwide hit series comes amidst a record-breaking season two premiere, which eclipsed its season one debut in September 2020.

The second season premiere of “Power Book II: Ghost” was the #1 top-ranked cable telecast among Black households across total day1 as well as the #1 top ranked premium telecast across all households, total day2 when it launched on Sunday, November 21. On linear, “Power Book II: Ghost” season two year-to-date is the top-ranked primetime show on cable among Black homes3.

“Power Book II: Ghost” is the first series in the expanded “Power” Universe franchise from executive producers Courtney A. Kemp and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. Brett Mahoney will serve as showrunner and executive producer for season three.

“The continued success and cultural resonance of the ‘Power’ Universe is unprecedented, and fans are clearly still hungry for more ‘Power Book II: Ghost,’” said Jeffrey Hirsch, President and CEO at STARZ. “We’re excited for the third season of the star-studded series to get into production early next year just ahead of the debut ‘Power Book IV: Force,’ the fourth installment in the rapidly expanding franchise.”

“Power Book II: Ghost” season two stars Michael Rainey Jr. (“Power,” Lee Daniels’ The Butler) as “Tariq St. Patrick,” Mary J. Blige (Mudbound, “The Umbrella Academy”) as “Monet Stewart Tejada,” Shane Johnson (“Power,” Behind Enemy Lines) as “Cooper Saxe,” Gianni Paolo (Ma, “The Fosters”) as “Brayden Weston,” Daniel Bellomy (The Real MVP: The Wanda Durrant Story) as “Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Cross,” Paige Hurd (“The Oval,” “Hawaii Five-O”) as “Lauren Baldwin,” Cliff “Method Man” Smith (“The Deuce,” Garden State) as “Davis MacLean,” Larenz Tate (Ray, Crash) as “Rashad Tate,” Melanie Liburd (“This is Us,” “Gypsy”) as “Caridad ‘Carrie’ Milgram,” Daniel Sunjata (“Graceland”, “Manifest”) as “Mecca,” Berto Colon (Inside Game, “Orange Is the New Black”) as “Lorenzo Tejada,” Woody McClain (“The Bobby Brown Story,” “The New Edition Story”) as “Cane Tejada,” Lovell Adams-Gray (“Coroner,” “Slasher”) as “Dru Tejada,” LaToya Tonodeo (“The Fosters”, “The Oath”) as “Diana Tejada,” Alix Lapri (“Power”, Den of Thieves) as “Effie Morales,” and Paton Ashbrook (“House of Cards”, “Shameless”) as Jenny Sullivan.”

The “Power” Universe series are executive produced by “Power” creator and showrunner Courtney A. Kemp through her production company End of Episode, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson through G-Unit Film and Television, and Mark Canton through Atmosphere Entertainment MM. The third season will be executive produced by Courtney A. Kemp, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Brett Mahoney, Mark Canton and Chris Selak with Geary McLeod serving as supervising producer and directing the season three premiere episode. Lionsgate Television produces the series for STARZ.

The original series premiered worldwide across all STARZ platforms, including on STARZ in the U.S. and Canada, and day and date internationally on the STARZPLAY premium streaming platform across its complete footprint in Europe, Latin America and Japan.

About “Power Book II: Ghost” – Season Two
“Power Book II: Ghost” begins its second season with Tariq St. Patrick still running from a legacy that haunts him. Forced into the choice to take the life of his professor, Jabari Reynolds, Tariq finds himself drifting further from that which he’s been fighting to protect: his family. With Tasha in witness protection, Tariq knows he must sacrifice anything to save what’s left of his family. Unable to do it alone, he turns to those wielding power and influence: Davis MacLean and his new partner, Cooper Saxe, as well as Rashad Tate. All of these options come with a steep price, so it’s back to business with the Tejadas. However, with two murders involving Stansfield, Monet Tejada has to question if Tariq is what’s best for her family as she seeks to protect her nephew’s professional basketball prospects at all costs. Her younger kids, Dru and Diana, question her moves as she grows more distracted, especially when Monet goes as far as trusting Cane again despite his actions against the family. In doing so, Monet finds herself reconnecting with Mecca, a man who wants to show her a whole new world, potentially at the cost of destroying her old one, forcing Monet to lean on Tariq, who must decide what he really wants and what he’s going to sacrifice to get it.

About STARZ
STARZ (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company, is a leading global media streaming platform committed to delivering premium content that amplifies narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences. STARZ is home to the highly-rated and first-of-its-kind STARZ app that offers the ability to stream or download STARZ premium content, as well as the flagship domestic STARZ® service, including STARZ ENCORE, 17 premium pay TV channels, and the associated on-demand and online services. In 2018, STARZ launched its STARZPLAY international premium streaming platform to provide subscribers access to the “best of global SVOD.” STARZPLAY, coupled with its STARZPLAY ARABIA joint venture, has expanded its global footprint into more than 58 countries throughout Europe and Latin America along with Canada, Japan, India and Indonesia. STARZ and STARZPLAY are available across digital OTT platforms and multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies around the world. In February 2021, STARZ launched #TakeTheLead, a multi-faceted and innovative inclusion initiative expanding its existing efforts to improve representation on screen, behind the camera and throughout the company.

1Nielsen; Live+SD Coverage HH rating among Black households for total day cable telecasts (excluding repeats) on Sunday 11/21/21 based on data available as of 11/24/21.
2Nielsen; Live+SD Coverage HH rating among for total day premium telecasts (excluding repeats) on Sunday 11/21/21 based on data available as of 11/24/21.
3Nielsen; live+3 Coverage HH rating program average ranker (excluding replays) among Black HHs, 1/1/21-11/28/21.

What do you think? Have you been following the Power Book II: Ghost TV show on Starz? Are you glad to hear that this drama has been renewed for a third season?