Final Countdown for ‘Raising Kanan’ as Starz Announces ‘Power: Legacy’ Spinoff
With only days until the Season 5 premiere of Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Starz has sent shockwaves through the Power universe by officially greenlighting yet another spinoff — Power: Legacy, which will reunite fan-favorite characters Tommy Egan and Tariq St. Patrick. The twin announcements, coming on June 3 and June 4, 2026 respectively, highlight Starz’s aggressive expansion of its flagship franchise even as one of its most popular prequel series prepares for what could be a climactic season.
Raising Kanan Season 5 drops on the Starz app at midnight on Friday, June 12, and airs on linear television at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT that same evening. The new season follows Kanan Stark (MeKai Curtis) as he fully embraces his ruthless side, forming a powerful alliance with Southside legend Breeze (Shameik Moore) and setting the stage for a reckoning that will impact every player in Queens’ drug game. According to interviews with the cast published by Black Girl Nerds, Kanan has “broken free from his mother’s influence” but still cannot let her crimes go unanswered.
Just one day after that preview, on June 4, Starz confirmed Power: Legacy — an eight-episode spinoff starring Joseph Sikora as Tommy Egan and Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq St. Patrick. The series will follow Tommy’s return to New York after his Chicago empire crumbled, partnering with Ghost’s son to “take the city by storm,” according to the official synopsis. The project reunites the actors for the first time as co-leads after they separately headlined Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book IV: Force.
Why This Matters: Franchise Expansion and Fan Expectations
The timing of these two announcements is no accident. Raising Kanan has been crucial in keeping the Power brand alive across generational lines, exploring the origin story of a character originally played by 50 Cent in the original Power. The prequel has attracted strong viewership and critical praise for its portrayal of 1990s Queens and its deep dive into Kanan’s transformation from ambitious son to hardened criminal. With Season 5 described as the point where Kanan “solidifies his place in the Queens drug business,” the series may be setting up the character’s full transition into the villain audiences met in the original show.
Meanwhile, Power: Legacy represents a strategic bet on nostalgia and character chemistry. Tommy and Tariq have a complicated history — Tommy once tried to kill Tariq, but the two came together in the Force series finale when Tariq saved Tommy from a deadly situation. That episode ended with a rooftop conversation in which Tariq asked Tommy to return to New York as his partner. Fans have been clamoring for this team-up for years, and executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson acknowledged that, saying, “Fans have been waiting to see Tariq and Tommy together.”
The spinoff also marks a structural shift for Starz: unlike previous Power shows that were licensed from Lionsgate, Power: Legacy is a co-production between Starz and Lionsgate Television. This gives the network more creative control and a bigger financial stake in the franchise’s future. Showrunner Gary Lennon, who wrote the pilot with Kendra Chanae, expressed excitement about exploring whether “these two men can share the city, the game and the intoxicating drug known as Power.”
Broader Implications: A Universe Expanding Across Genres and Eras
The Power universe now spans five series: the original Power, Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Power Book IV: Force, and now Power: Legacy. With Ghost and Force both concluded, the franchise is pivoting toward a dual-track strategy: one prequel deepening the mythology of its original antagonist, and one sequel/continuation pairing two of its most popular current protagonists.
This strategy reflects a broader industry trend toward “universe-building” in premium television, similar to how networks like HBO and Showtime have expanded dramas into multiple interconnected series. For Starz, which has struggled to replicate the cultural footprint of Power with new original content, doubling down on proven IP is a low-risk, high-reward move. Kathryn Busby, president of original programming at Starz, said, “Power doesn’t die, it evolves with its audience, and for over a decade, the Power Universe has remained at the forefront of culture.”
The upcoming Raising Kanan season will also feature returning cast members including Patina Miller as Raquel Thomas, London Brown as Marvin Thomas, and Joey Bada$$ as Unique, alongside new additions like Tony Danza and Joe Pantoliano as mafia figures. As the series hurtles toward Kanan’s inevitable fate — fans of the original Power know he dies young — the storytelling is likely to grow more urgent and brutal.
In a cultural moment where audiences crave both nostalgia and forward momentum, the Power franchise is offering both. Whether Power: Legacy can live up to the hype — and whether Raising Kanan can maintain its creative momentum — will determine if this universe can sustain itself for another decade. For now, fans have a lot to look forward to: the June 12 premiere of Raising Kanan, and the promise of Tommy and Tariq back in New York soon after.
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