How To Watch Power & All Power Book Spinoffs In Order

Summary The Power franchise includes the original show, Power, and three spinoff series: Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force.

The release order of the shows is as follows: Power (2014-2020), Power Book II: Ghost (2020-present), Power Book III: Raising Kanan (2021-present), Power Book IV: Force (2022-present).

The chronological order to watch the shows is: Power Book III: Raising Kanan, all seasons of Power, Power Book II: Ghost season 1, Power Book IV: Force season 1, Power Book II: Ghost season 2, Power Book IV: Force season 2, Power Book II: Ghost season 3.

Courtney A. Kemp (in collaboration with Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson) created Power, which debuted on June 7, 2014, and quickly became one of Starz's most successful television shows. The 2014 crime drama series ran for six seasons before ending in 2020, and thanks to its popularity, Starz ordered multiple spin-offs tied to the original show. Four television series now exist in the Power universe (and not all of them are sequels to the first show), which means the order to watch the Powers series in order is a little bit confusing.

Power centers around James "Ghost" St. Patrick (played by Omari Hardwick), a drug dealer who wishes to leave the world of crime and pursue his dream of owning a nightclub. However, Ghost ends up having to balance both careers while navigating his struggles and the morality of his actions. Meanwhile, Power Book II: Ghost continues the first show's story by focusing on Ghost's son, Tariq St. Patrick, Power Book III: Raising Kanan serves as a prequel set in the 1990s and revolves around Ghost's rival, Kanan Stark, and Power Book IV: Force tells the story of Ghost's partner and friend, Tommy Egan.

Related Why Was Power Book V Canceled? What Happened To The Rashad Tate Spinoff Fans of the hit series are wondering why Power: Book V was canceled, and what, exactly, happened to the highly anticipated Rashad Tate spinoff.

Power & Power Book Spinoffs In Release Order

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The entirety of Power aired before any of its spinoffs arrived. However, the three sequel series are currently airing simultaneously, making understanding the Power series in order a bit confusing. Going strictly by release date, though, makes it a little easier. Power premiered first in 2014 and kickstarted the highly rated and critically acclaimed television franchise. Then, the three Power spinoffs debuted in the early 2020s, and the release order is as follows:

Show Title Dates Seasons Power June 7, 2014 - February 9, 2020 6 Power Book II: Ghost September 6, 2020 - 2024 4+ Power Book III: Raising Kanan July 18, 2021 - present 3+ Power Book IV: Force February 6, 2022 - present 2+

Power Book II: Ghost is a sequel to the original series and follows Tariq St. Patrick as he starts his new life, trying to shed his father's overwhelming legacy. Power Book III: Raising Kanan is a prequel series that follows Kanan Stark as he begins to get involved in the drug-dealing scene in the 1990s. This leads to his role as the main bad guy in the original Power series.

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Many viewers consider Power Book IV: Force as the best sequel, and it follows Tommy Egan as he leaves New York and takes his trade to Chicago. There is also a fourth series in development called Power: Origins, announced in March 2024 (via Variety).

Related 8 Power Universe Characters Who Could Carry Their Own Spinoffs There have been several spin-offs in the Power Universe, and each one introduces new characters with the potential to have their own stories told.

Power & Power Book Spinoffs In Chronological Order

Watching Power As The Story Unfolds

The Power series in release order is relatively straightforward, but the chronological order in which to watch all four shows is complicated, especially since the three sequel series are currently airing. The simplest aspect of the chronological order is that the entirety of Power Book III: Raising Kanan happens before Power, since it is a prequel.

All six seasons of Power come next, which is easy because the series ended on February 9, 2020. Unfortunately, the order in which to watch Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book IV: Force becomes a little convoluted since they take place concurrently. Watching Power and the spinoffs in chronological order would mean switching between seasons of Ghost and Force as follows:

All seasons of Power Book III: Raising Kanan

All seasons of Power

Power Book II: Ghost season 1

Power Book IV: Force season 1

Power Book II: Ghost season 2

Power Book IV: Force season 2

Power Book II: Ghost season 3

Since Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book IV: Force are still going strong (Power Book II: Ghost season 4 arrives in June 2024, and Starz announced a renewal for Power Book IV: Force season 3), the chronological order might change. However, the best way to think about it is that a season of Book II should come first, followed by the next season of Book IV. There is also a new series coming called Power: Origins, which follows Ghost and Tommy's early days, and it should run alongside the seasons of Raising Kanan​​​​​.

Related 10 Best Shows Like Starz's Power Book III: Raising Kanan From iconic TV prequels to historical hustle stories, fans of Power Book III: Raising Kanan have a lot of other shows to binge on.

The Best Order To Watch Power & All Power Book Spinoffs

How Should You Watch Power?

The best way to watch Power, Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force is up to the viewer. Since there are a couple of different ways to watch all four Starz television shows, there is no wrong way to view them (unless a viewer watches Power Book II: Ghost before Power, Power Book IV: Force before Power Book II: Ghost, and so on). The best options to understand the crime drama series are in either release or chronological order, as laid out above.

Since the franchise is ongoing, it might be best to watch the four Starz television shows in release order. Once the spinoffs come to an end, fans could watch them in chronological order to get the full story of the universe that Courtney A. Kemp created, but the shows also pay off viewers who watched them in the order they were released with some fun little Easter eggs. Only time will tell when Starz decides to end the Power franchise, and the order of the shows will remain confusing with the new prequel on the way.

How Much Does That Power Watch Order Matter?

Ultimately, The Watch Order Of Power Doesn't Impact Each Show (Much)

How much the watch order of Power matters is an interesting question, since in some ways it doesn't matter at all, but in other ways it can be quite significant. Ultimately, it depends on which show in the wider Power universe is being discussed. As a starting point, most viewers find that watching Power first is the best way to gain the most enjoyment from the rest of the franchise.

Power introduces the characters that the others spinoffs feature, so watching all six seasons before moving onto the next chapters ensures that all the subtle references and nods will be picked up by viewers. Knowing the plot of Power is also quite important for some of the spinoffs, but not for others — though each book of Power is self-contained enough that the plots can be followed without watching the original show.

The most independent is Power Book III: Raising Kanan. As a prequel, watching the history of Kanan Stark prior to watching Power is pretty straightforward. Fans who discovered the show in this order also find that it's an interesting experience watching Raising Kanan having never seen the original show, then following with Power straight afterward, as it creates a prolonged story that follows the rise and fall of Kanan Stark.

The other two books, Force and Ghost, sometimes lean a little more heavily on Power. Ghost is the spinoff that the watch order perhaps matters most for, as many of the events in Tariq St. Patrick's story after Power concludes simply don't hold the same thematic weight without the narrative of the main show for context.

Force can be enjoyed without having seen Power, as it follows Tommy in Chicago rather than NY, which means an almost completely new roster of characters. However, watching Power beforehand also means that Tommy's journey is much more understandable, and so makes Ghost much more enjoyable as a series. Finally, despite Ghost and Force taking place at the same time, it's not necessary to watch them in chronological order and flip between seasons. While this is an enjoyable way to experience both shows, it's also not a necessity.