Courtney A. Kemp (in collaboration with Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson) created 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 (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.

Power & Power Book Spinoffs In Release Order

The Official Release Dates Of The Power Shows

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:

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.

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).

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
• Power Book II: Ghost season 4

Since Power Book IV: Force is still going strong (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​​​​​.

The Best Order To Watch Power & All Power Book Spinoffs

The Best Order Is Up To The Viewer

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.

The Future Of The Power Franchise

The Future Of Power Currently Lies In The Past

With two of Power’s spinoffs, Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book IV: Force, reaching their final seasons. The latest of the Power spinoffs will be a prequel series, though there is no confirmed air date for it just yet.

The spinoff series, Power: Origins, is set to take the audience back to the very beginning. It will focus on the characters that originally made the franchise famous in the first iteration of the show - Ghost and Tommy. It’s a break from how the Power shows are structured since each season typically focuses on one protagonist with multiple antagonists and a ing cast for them. This time around, both characters in their younger days will lead the show, presumably with young actors in the roles.

There was previously another planned spinoff for the franchise, Power Book V: Influence, but it was canceled in early 2024 before it even got off the ground. It’s likely that spinoff didn’t come to fruition because the character it was intended to spotlight, Rashad Tate, was featured heavily in Power Book II: Ghost instead.

Of course, none of this means that the Power franchise as a whole is ending just because multiple spinoffs are. There are still plenty of characters and storylines that the Power franchise could explore in future spinoffs. For example, Audrey Esparza’s Liliana originally appeared in the franchise in the first series, only to disappear for seven years before turning up in Power Book IV: Ghost. A series spanning those missing seven years of her life could be interesting for longtime fans.

As long as fans are interested and keeping the various Power series as some of Starz’s most-watched shows, the network will likely continue to develop interesting spinoffs.

Where To Watch Power

Every Show In The Power Franchise Is Available On Starz

When it comes to streaming Power, each of the franchise's shows is easily found on one platform. All four Power shows are available on Starz. As the original Power emerged as one of the best shows on Starz, it is not surprising that the network has kept the entire franchise together for fans to watch in whatever order they choose. However, while Starz has the convenience factor, not every season is currently available on Starz. Likewise, for those who do not have Starz, there are some other seasons available on other platforms.

All six seasons of the original Power series are also available on Hulu, as well as on Starz, with the first season available on Prime Video and Roku. All four seasons of Power Book II: Ghost are available on Starz, but only the first season is available on Prime Video. Unfortunately, those are the only Power shows that are available in their entirety on streaming.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan only has three of its five seasons on Starz and only its first season on Prime Video, while Power Book IV: Force has two of its three seasons on Starz and one on Prime Video.