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‘Power’ Doesn’t Need Validation From the White Establishment—We Say It’s Fire
Despite industry snubs, the Starz series continues to be a ratings hit, thanks largely to Black viewers
I did lots of shushing during our Power viewing party on Saturday night. My sister, a few friends, and I decided to get together for the midseason finale; some of us like to yell at the TV when we’re not sure if our favorite characters are going to end up dead, in prison, or (gasp!) broke. But I didn’t want to miss a word — it’s the final season after all, and the episode was sure to feature a big whodunit cliffhanger that will leave us thirsting until the show returns in January for the final five episodes of the series. (Not much of a spoiler: It did.)
It can feel like every Black person I know watches Power. This time of year, Saturday night Power gatherings have become a regular thing with my friends and family. We plan watch parties (the show airs Sunday nights but is available to stream at midnight ET), we dissect each episode in group texts, and we get way too invested in every move the messy lead characters make. We create and share memes — so many memes. And as a fan base, we’re so attached to the original opening theme song, by R&B singer Joe and rapper and Power executive producer 50 Cent, that when a new version was featured in the season six premiere, we went off. (The show pivoted back to the original after that.)
Even in terms of media coverage, Power is not discussed as exhaustively as shows with lesser ratings
Yet, as big of a space as the show — a slick and intense Starz crime drama that follows drug dealer and nightclub owner James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) as he straddles the line between legit life and the criminal underworld — takes up in our pop culture lives, it’s not uncommon to hear someone, usually a white person, say “Power? Never heard of it.” Creator and showrunner Courtney Kemp admits not even all of her industry peers know it exists. That’s not for lack of viewership. In 2018, Power was the third most-watched show on-demand, behind Game of Thrones and This Is Us. (It was also reported in 2017 that 75% of the show’s audience was African…
