#Power Book II: Ghost: Starz Reveals Spin-Off’s Mid-Season Return Date (Video)

(Starz)

“You got to protect yourself at all times.” Starz just released a new teaser and the mid-season premiere date for Power Book II: Ghost.

A spin-off of Power, the sequel series follows Tariq St. Patrick (Michael Rainey Jr.) as a college freshman who becomes entangled in the drug trade to pay for his mother’s defense attorney. The cast also includes Naturi Naughton, Mary J. Blige, Clifford “Method Man” Smith, Daniel Bellomy, Gianni Paolo, Justin McManus, LaToya Tonodeo, Lovell Adams-Gray, Melanie Liburd, Paige Hurd, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Shane Johnson, Woody McClain, and Sherri Saum.

Season one of Power Book II: Ghost returns to Starz with new episodes on December 6th at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Take a sneak peek below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp2o40s-wp4

Starz, a Lionsgate company, today released the official key art and trailer for the next five episodes of STARZ Original series “Power Book II: Ghost.” The series will return on Sunday, December 6 at 8PM ET/PT on STARZ in the U.S. and Canada, also airing day and date on the Starzplay international streaming service across Europe, Latin America and Japan.

Prior to the mid-season premiere on December 6, STARZ will air the first five episodes of “Power Book II: Ghost” back-to-back, starting at 2:45 PM ET/PT. The series garnered 8.4 million multi-platform viewers in its premiere week back in September, becoming the most-watched new series premiere on STARZ. It drove a 42% lift in acquisition on the Starz App and 36% higher viewership than the premiere of “Power” 601.

“Power Book II: Ghost” premiered internationally on the Starzplay streaming service and was the service’s most successful launch ever in the UK. In the first five weeks after premiere in the UK, over 400% more viewers have watched “Power Book II: Ghost” than the prior top performer, and the series garnered unprecedented in season viewership growth that included a 50% increase between episode 101 and 105 in their respective first weeks, setting the all-time streaming record for an episode in its first week on the service.

From the executive producers of “Power,” this is the first series in the expanded “Power” Universe franchise. Next in line for the team will be “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” which is currently in production in New York City, and “Power Book IV: Force.”

“Power Book II: Ghost” picks up shortly after the earth-shattering events of “Power” as Tariq St. Patrick grapples with a new world order: his father dead and his mother, Tasha, facing charges for the murder her son committed. Not to mention the academic rigors of the Ivy League university Tariq is attending to earn his inheritance. Truly on his own for the first time in his life, Tariq is forced to split his time between school and hustling to pay for Davis MacLean, the fame-hungry defense lawyer who is Tasha’s only hope of getting out of jail and escaping prosecution by newly minted U.S. Attorney Cooper Saxe. With no better options, Tariq turns to the familiar drug game, entangling himself with a cutthroat family headed by Monet Stewart Tejada, that’s been at it far longer than him. As Tariq tries to balance his drug operation with his grades, love life, and family, he figures out that the only way to avoid the same fate his father met is to become him — only better.

Cast includes Michael Rainey Jr. (“Power,”* Lee Daniels’ The Butler) as “Tariq St. Patrick,” Naturi Naughton (“Power,” “Fame”) as “Tasha St. Patrick,” Mary J. Blige (Mudbound*, “The Umbrella Academy”) as “Monet Stewart Tejada,” Shane Johnson (“Power,” *Behind Enemy Lines) as “Cooper Saxe,” Gianni Paolo (Ma, “The Fosters”) as “Brayden Weston,” Quincy Tyler Bernstine (“Ray Donovan,” “Modern Love”) as “Tameika Washington,” Daniel Bellomy (The Real MVP: The Wanda Durrant Story*) as “Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Cross,” Paige Hurd (“The Oval,” “Hawaii Five-O”) as “Lauren Baldwin,” Cliff “Method Man” Smith (“The Deuce,” *Garden State*) as “Davis MacLean,” Melanie Liburd (“This is Us,” “Gypsy”) as “Caridad ‘Carrie’ Milgram,” Justin Marcel McManus (“Star”) as “Jabari Reynolds,” Woody McClain (“The Bobby Brown Story,” “The New Edition Story”) as “Cane Tejada,” Lovell Adams-Gray (“Coroner,” “Slasher”) as “Dru Tejada,” and LaToya Tonodeo (“The Oath”) as “Diana Tejada.”

“Power Book II: Ghost” is executive produced by series creator and showrunner Courtney A. Kemp through her company End of Episode, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson through his G-Unit Film and Television, and Mark Canton through his Atmosphere Entertainment MM. End of Episode’s Chris Selak and Danielle De Jesus, Shana Stein and Bart Wenrich continue executive producing. Lionsgate TV produces the series for STARZ.

What do you think? Have you seen Power Book II: Ghost? Are you excited for new episodes?