“Power Book II: Ghost” is the direct fallout of the original series “Power,” and it picks up just days after that show’s finale. The sequel follows Tariq St. Patrick, played by Michael Rainey Jr., as he tries to build a new life far from the shadow of his father’s past. The show carries a heavy load: it has to honor the franchise’s legacy while giving Tariq his own story. It mostly succeeds.
The show ran for four seasons across 40 episodes, starting on September 6, 2020, and ending on October 4, 2024. It airs on STARZ. Courtney Kemp Agboh created the series, which is both a direct sequel and a spin-off to “Power.” The show carries the same crime-drama label as its predecessor, and it keeps the same energy even as it shifts the focus to a younger, more uncertain protagonist.
Trailer, via STARZ.
Tariq’s New Life
Tariq’s desire to shed his father’s legacy runs through every episode. He wants to leave the drug business behind and build something honest. But that wish keeps clashing with the mounting pressure to save his family. His education, his love life, his family matters, and the scrutiny of local and federal law enforcement all pile up at once. The show is built on that tension between running away and being pulled back in.
The Tejada family gives Tariq his biggest complication. As he tries to balance his drug operations with his schoolwork, his love life, and his family duties, he gets caught up in the affairs of this cutthroat clan. The show doesn’t let Tariq escape the drug world. It keeps him tangled in it and watches how he handles it.
A Cast That Builds Around Tariq
The main cast came together over time. Mary J. Blige was the first big name announced, cast on July 26, 2019. Method Man followed a year later, on January 14, 2020. The rest of the core group was announced entirely on February 9, 2020. This early announcement gave the show a solid foundation before it even aired.
Sherri Saum joined on July 21, 2020. Two days later, Shalim Ortiz was cast in a recurring role. The show kept adding pieces from there. Daniel Sunjata was cast as a new series regular for the second season on February 24, 2021. Redman joined as a guest star in a guest role for the second season on April 27, 2021.
Paton Ashbrook, Berto Colon, and Alix Lapri were promoted to series regulars on June 21, 2021, while Lahmard Tate joined in a recurring role, reprising his part as Kamaal Tate from the sixth season of “Power.” Frank Whaley joined as a recurring actor for the second season on October 1, 2021. Keesha Sharp, David Walton, Monique Curnen, and Moriah Brown were cast as series regulars in January 2022, with Petey McGee joining in a recurring role for the third season.
Gbenga Akinnagbe, Kyle Vincent Terry, and Caroline Chikezie were cast as recurring actors in March 2022. The fourth season renewal brought Michael Ealy into the cast as a new series regular. The show kept building its cast even after its run was set to end.
Method Man and the Cast’s Weight
Method Man’s casting as Davis Maclean gave the show a strong comic presence. His scenes add a layer of warmth to a show that spends a lot of time in dark places. Mary J. Blige plays Monet Stewart Tejada, and her scenes carry real weight. She’s a force in the show, and her presence shapes how the story moves. Woody McClain plays Cane Tejada, and Gianni Paolo plays Brayden Weston. Lovell Adams-Gray plays Dru Tejada, and LaToya Tonodeo plays Diana Tejada.
The show keeps adding new faces across its four seasons. That casting work is part of what makes the series feel alive from season to season.
Fourth Season’s Final Push
The fourth season was announced to be the show’s last on March 14, 2024. It was split into two parts. Part one premiered on June 7, and part two premiered on September 6. That split structure gave the final season room to take its time. The show used both parts to tie up loose ends and set up what comes after.
The show’s final episodes spend time with Tariq’s choices. The tension between his desire to leave his father’s mark behind and his need to protect his family reaches its peak. The show doesn’t retreat from that tension in its closing moments. It lets the audience see the full weight of Tariq’s burdens.
Where the Show Lands
“Power Book II: Ghost” is a strong spin-off. It gives Tariq his own platform and builds a world around him that matches the weight of his father’s shadow. The show’s central tension — wanting to escape a legacy while being pulled back into it — is the engine that drives every episode. It doesn’t settle for comfort. It keeps pushing Tariq into hard choices.
The show’s cast is its strength. Method Man and Mary J. Blige add real weight to every scene they’re in. The show’s constant additions to its cast keep the world feeling full and alive. The show’s structure — four seasons across 40 episodes — gives it room to develop its characters and its story without rushing.
“Picking up just days after the ‘Power’ finale, this sequel series follows Tariq navigating his new life, in which his desire to shed his father’s legacy comes up against the mounting pressure to save his family.”
What the Score Represents
The published critical score for “Power Book II: Ghost” is 8.2 out of 10. That number reflects the show’s standing as a solid, well-made series. It’s not a perfect show, but it’s one that executes its central idea with confidence.
The show’s final season gives Tariq a fitting end. It leaves the door open for what comes next while closing the chapter on his time in this world. The show earns its final moments, and it does so without cheapening what came before.
The Review’s Verdict
“Power Book II: Ghost” is a strong spin-off that respects its source material while building something new around a young protagonist. Tariq’s struggle to escape his father’s shadow while protecting his family is the show’s beating heart, and the cast delivers it with skill and commitment. The show’s structure gives it room to develop its characters and its story without rushing, and its final season earns its ending.
“Power Book II: Ghost” scores an 8.2 out of 10.
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