50 Cent’s crime thriller series “Power” was a breakout hit, inspiring several spin-off shows and helping to put the Starz network on the map. One of the show’s most popular offshoots, “Power Book II: Ghost,” is set to premiere its fourth season on Friday, June 7, after being renewed in January 2023. However, fans and cast members alike were shocked when news dropped on March 12 that the show was being canceled, and the fourth season would be its last.

Adding to the confusion is the wild success of 2023’s Season 3, which broke viewership records as the biggest premiere weekend in Starz’s history, according to Nielsen (via The Hollywood Reporter).

So what gives?

Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch’s candid comments at a Deutsch Bank media conference on March 12 provide clues, and it seems that it’s all about payroll and the bottom line.

“When seasons go from one to two to three to four [seasons], three to four is where the cost really pops because most of the actors get bigger raises, and you have to really manage that. So, you have to have in your portfolio of development shows that can actually replace shows as they get into later seasons,” he said.

Hirsh used the “Power” franchise as an example when describing STARZ’s cost-cutting strategy.

“You look at the [Power] map and say, ‘OK, if I take one of those characters out and spin one of those out, I can bring that on to replace the Power show at half the cost.’” he revealed. “Now, I’m putting a lot of money right to the bottom line. And I’m really not losing anything in terms of acquisition costs and subscriber viewership because we know what those demos want. And we know how to line those up. And so that’s really the core of getting to that 20% [margin] — turning that slate over with fresh content to drive the business.”

On March 13, a day prior to the “Power Book II: Ghost” cancellation news, 50 Cent took to social media to announce plans for a new “Power” prequel tracing the origins of the original “Power” characters, Ghost and Tommy. Starz is currently in development on the concept, as “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” and “Power Book IV: Force” film new seasons.

“You asked, I answered. Young Ghost and Tommy coming your way. Power Origins now in development,” posted 50 Cent on X.

Fans of the show had already pieced together the evidence on social media.

“Ohhhh now it’s clicking. They don’t wanna pay these folks, so they cancel Ghost but then start up a Ghost and Tommy spin-off,” tweeted @tvwriteher on X, echoing many similarly frustrated comments on social media. “STARZ did Michael Rainey the same way did Omari but worst. F—k yall disrespectfully.”

Despite everything going on behind the scenes, the cast and crew seem to have been left out of the discussion. Michael Rainey Jr, who stars as Tariq St. Patrick, the son of Ghost, played by Omari Hardwick in the original series, responded to the news in a now-deleted Instagram Story.

“Don’t ask me nothing idk what’s going in in them offices lmao they Trippin final season otw tho I guess,” he wrote

LaDarian Smith, writer and supervising producer for “Power” on Starz, turned to X to lament the news.

“Ain’t hear from STARZ or Lionsgate once about the show trajectory,” Smith wrote. “Literally sat in their faces last month with a pitch and all I kept hearing is how much they adored the work done on Ghost. adored it so much that they didn’t bother to tell anybody on staff we got canned.”

“Money talks & STARZ ain’t s—t lmao,” Smith added.

Starz has built its success on blockbuster hits like “Power” and its spinoffs, tapping into an African-American audience traditionally underserved by pay cable networks. The franchise has raised the visibility of hundreds of Black actors, from up-and-comers like Rainey Jr. to lesser-known talents who have fewer options to break into the industry. Black actors are cast in less than 8 percent of theatrical film leads (compared to 78.4 percent for white actors) and 13 percent of streaming films, according to data from the 2023 UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report. So the news of scrapping “Power Book II: Ghost” is disappointing on many levels.

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