Power Book III: Raising Kanan

Power Book III: Raising Kanan, or simply Raising Kanan is an American crime drama television series created by Sascha Penn that premiered on July 18, 2021, on Starz.[1] It is a standalone prequel and second spin-off to Power.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan
GenreCrime drama
Created bySascha Penn
Based onPower created by Courtney A. Kemp
Starring
Narrated by50 Cent
Opening theme"Part of the Game" by 50 Cent and NLE Choppa
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes30
Production
Executive producers
  • Courtney A. Kemp
  • 50 Cent
  • Sasha Penn
  • Rob Hardy
  • Kevin Fox
  • Danielle De Jesus
  • Chris Salek
  • Mark Canton
  • Shana Stein
  • Bart Wenrich
Producers
  • Anita Gibson
  • Frank L. Fleming
  • Dorothy Canton
  • Tim Christenson
  • David Prace
Running time50–60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkStarz
ReleaseJuly 18, 2021 (2021-07-18) –
present (present)
Related

The third season premiered on December 1, 2023.[2] In November 2023, ahead of the third season premiere, the series was renewed for a fourth season.[3] On March 27, 2024, the series was renewed for a fifth season.[4]

Premise

edit

Set in the 1990s, Raising Kanan chronicles the early years of Kanan Stark (the character first played by executive producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson), as he gets into the drug game as he helps his mom's growing drug bussiness.

Cast and characters

edit

Main

edit
  • Mekai Curtis as Kanan Stark, Raq's son[5]
  • Patina Miller as Raquel "Raq" Thomas, Kanan's mother; one of two major drug lords of Queens[6]
  • London Brown as Marvin Thomas, Jukebox's father and Kanan's uncle. He is Raq and Lou's older brother[7]
  • Malcolm Mays as Louis "Lou-Lou" Thomas, Kanan's uncle. He is Raq and Marvin's younger brother[7]
  • Joey Bada$$ as Kadeem "Unique" Mathis, Raq's rival drug lord and later love interest
  • Shanley Caswell as Shannon Burke (seasons 1–2; guest season 3)
  • Hailey Kilgore as LaVerne "Jukebox" Thomas, Kanan's cousin and Marvin's daughter[8]
  • Toby Sandeman as Symphony Bosket, Raq's boyfriend (season 1; recurring season 2)[7]
  • Lovie Simone as Davina Harrison, Kanan's girlfriend (season 1)[9]
  • Omar Epps as Malcolm Howard, NYPD Detective and Kanan's biological father[10] (seasons 1–3)
  • Antonio Ortiz as Shawn 'Famous' Figueroa, Kanan's best friend and aspiring rapper (season 2–present, recurring season 1)
  • Grantham Coleman as Ronnie Mathis, Unique's stoic and ruthless older brother, who was recently released from prison (season 3)[11]

Recurring

edit
  • AnnaLynne McCord as Toni Deep (seasons 1–2)
  • Natalee Linez as Jessica Figueroa, Famous' manager and sister and Lou's ex-girlfriend (seasons 1–2)[12]
  • Ade Chike Torbert as Scrappy (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), one of Raq's most trusted soldiers[13]
  • Annabelle Zasowski as Nicole Bingham, Jukebox's girlfriend (season 1)[12]
  • Quincy Brown as Crown Camacho (seasons 1–2), record label owner/producer of Bulletproof Records[14]
  • John Clay III as Worrell (seasons 1–2), Unique's right-hand man
  • Terence Archie as Andre Barnes, Lou's attorney
  • Lebrodrick Benson as CJ
  • Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as Azumadeen "Deen" Tippet (seasons 1–3), distributor of the drugs to Unique and Raq.[15]
  • Dorothi Fox as Deen's grandmother (seasons 1–3)[16]
  • LeToya Luckett as Kenya Pierce, Jukebox's mother and Marvin's ex who left the family to make it as a professional singer in Los Angeles (season 2)[17]
  • Omar Dorsey as Cartier "Duns" Fareed (season 2)[17]
  • Krystal Joy Brown as Renée Timmons (season 2)[17]
  • Danny Mastrogiorgio as Jimmy (season 2)
  • Paulina Singer as Zisa, Lou's new aspiring singer (season 2)[17]
  • Michael Rispoli as Sal Boselli, Mafia Don of NJ (seasons 2–3)[18]
  • Paloma Guzman as Detective Regina Foyle[18]
  • KJ Smith as Palomar, Corinne's mother & Kanan's ex-lover (season 2)
  • Josephine Lawrence as Corinne, Palomar's daughter & Kanan's love interest (season 2)
  • Chyna Layne as Andrea, Howard's ex-lover (season 2)
  • Tony Danza as Stefano Marchetti (season 3; guest season 2)[19]
  • Wendell Pierce as Ishmael "Snaps" Henry (season 3)[20]
  • Erika Woods as Stephanie 'Pop' Henry (season 3)[20]
  • Liv Symone as Iesha (season 3) Jukebox's former bandmate in the group Butta[21]
  • Aliyah Turner as Krystal (season 3), Kanan's latest lover and mother of his unborn child and Jukebox's former bandmate in the group Butta
  • Lev Gorn as Detective Arthur Ogden (season 3)
  • Sibongile Mlambo as Imani Okoye (season 4)[22]
  • Paul Ben-Victor as Phil Russo (season 4)[22]

Episodes

edit

Series overview

edit
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110July 18, 2021 (2021-07-18)September 26, 2021 (2021-09-26)
210August 14, 2022 (2022-08-14)October 23, 2022 (2022-10-23)
310December 1, 2023 (2023-12-01)February 9, 2024 (2024-02-09)

Season 1 (2021)

edit
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Back in the Day"Rob HardySascha PennJuly 18, 2021 (2021-07-18)0.438[23]
22"Reaping and Sowing"Mario Van PeeblesBashir Gavriel & Sascha PennJuly 25, 2021 (2021-07-25)0.392[24]
33"Stick and Move"Lisa LeoneJosef SawyerAugust 1, 2021 (2021-08-01)0.307[25]
44"Don't Sleep"Hernan OtañoSanta SierraAugust 8, 2021 (2021-08-08)0.378[26]
55"Choose Your Battles"Eif RiveraMike FlynnAugust 15, 2021 (2021-08-15)0.386[27]
66"Level Up"Kieron HawkesDylan C. BrownAugust 29, 2021 (2021-08-29)0.348[28]
77"Stay in Your Lane"Lisa LeoneNina ManniSeptember 5, 2021 (2021-09-05)0.270[29]
88"The Cost of Business"Hernan OtañoTash GraySeptember 12, 2021 (2021-09-12)0.418[30]
99"Loyal to the End"Bart WenrichMatt K. TurnerSeptember 19, 2021 (2021-09-19)0.486[31]
1010"Paid in Full"Rob HardyKevin FoxSeptember 26, 2021 (2021-09-26)0.458[32]

Season 2 (2022)

edit
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
111"The More Things Change"Mario Van PeeblesSascha PennAugust 14, 2022 (2022-08-14)0.345[33]
122"Mind Your Business"Eif RiveraSanta SierraAugust 21, 2022 (2022-08-21)0.269[34]
133"Sleeping Dogs"Shana SteinNina ManniAugust 28, 2022 (2022-08-28)0.232[35]
144"Pay the Toll"Monty DeGraffDylan C. BrownSeptember 4, 2022 (2022-09-04)0.211[36]
155"What Happens in the Catskills"Hernán OtañoTash GraySeptember 11, 2022 (2022-09-11)0.206[37]
166"It's a Business, Man"Bart WenrichMike FlynnSeptember 18, 2022 (2022-09-18)0.213[38]
177"No Love Lost"Joy T. LaneJosef SawyerOctober 2, 2022 (2022-10-02)0.220[39]
188"A House Is Not a Home"Stacey Muhammad & Monty DeGraffMatt K. TurnerOctober 9, 2022 (2022-10-09)0.235[40]
199"Anti-Trust"Erica WatsonKevin FoxOctober 16, 2022 (2022-10-16)0.210[41]
2010"If Y'Dont Know, Now Y'Know"Rob HardySascha Penn & Naja RayneOctober 23, 2022 (2022-10-23)0.273[42]

Season 3 (2023–24)

edit
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title [43]Directed byWritten by [44]Original air date [45]U.S. viewers
(millions)
211"Home Sweet Home"Rob HardySascha PennDecember 1, 2023 (2023-12-01)0.199[46]
222"Flipmode"Brendan WalshDylan C. BrownDecember 8, 2023 (2023-12-08)0.190[46]
233"Open for Business"Bobby KennedyMichael M. ChangDecember 15, 2023 (2023-12-15)0.215[46]
244"In Sheep's Clothing"Monty DeGraffSanta SierraDecember 22, 2023 (2023-12-22)0.233[46]
255"Brothers and Keepers"Joy T. LaneNaja RayneDecember 29, 2023 (2023-12-29)0.236[46]
266"Into the Darkness"Cierra 'Shooter' GlaudeNina ManniJanuary 12, 2024 (2024-01-12)0.217[46]
277"Where All Are Guilty"Sascha PennBrian WalkerJanuary 19, 2024 (2024-01-19)0.256[46]
288"Reckonings"Dawn Wilkinson, Monty DeGraff & Sascha PennTash GrayJanuary 26, 2024 (2024-01-26)0.202[46]
299"Home to Roost"Monty DeGraffKevin FoxFebruary 2, 2024 (2024-02-02)0.321[46]
3010"Made You Look"Eif RiveraSascha Penn & Albert MinnisFebruary 9, 2024 (2024-02-09)0.239[46]

Production

edit

The series was first announced in February 2020.[47] On July 12, 2021, Starz renewed the series for a second season ahead of its premiere.[48] The second season premiered on August 14, 2022.[49] On August 11, 2022, ahead of its second season premiere, Starz renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on December 1, 2023.[50] On November 28, 2023, ahead of its third season premiere, Starz renewed the series for a fourth season.[3] On March 27, 2024, Starz renewed the series for a fifth season.[51]

Reception

edit

Critical response

edit

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 9.3/10, based on 6 critic reviews.[52]

References

edit
  1. ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (August 4, 2020). "Power: Starz Unveils Premiere Date, New Trailer for Book II: Ghost Spinoff". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  2. ^ Cordero, Rosy (August 28, 2023). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Sets Season 3 Premiere Date At Starz". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Petski, Denise (November 28, 2023). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Lands Early Season 4 Renewal At Starz". Deadline. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  4. ^ Cordero, Rosy (March 27, 2024). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Renewed For Season 5". Deadline. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  5. ^ Porter, Rick (February 25, 2020). "'Power' Spinoff Casts Young Version of 50 Cent's Character". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (February 19, 2020). "Patina Miller To Star In 'Power' Prequel 'Raising Kanan' On Starz". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Petski, Denise (March 6, 2020). "'Power' Prequel 'Raising Kanan' Adds London Brown, Malcolm Mays, Shanley Caswell, Toby Sandeman, Joey Bada$$". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Nakamura, Reid (March 4, 2020). "'Power' Prequel 'Raising Kanan' Casts Hailey Kilgore as Young Jukebox". TheWrap. The Wrap News Inc. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 6, 2020). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Casts 'Greenleaf' Star Lovie Simone (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  10. ^ Patten, Dominic (February 14, 2020). "Patina Miller To Star In 'Power' Prequel 'Raising Kanan' On Starz". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  11. ^ White, Peter (October 25, 2022). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan': Grantham Coleman Joins In Key Role For Season 3 Of Starz Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan': Natalee Linez, Annabelle Zasowski Set To Recur In Starz Prequel Series". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. December 16, 2020. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (May 29, 2020). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan': Ade Chike Torbert to Recur In Starz Prequel Series". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  14. ^ Ray, Alyssa (September 14, 2020). "Quincy Brown Reveals His Reaction to 50 Cent Telling Him He Landed Power Book III Role". E!. NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  15. ^ Toby, Mekeisha Madden (August 1, 2021). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan Recap: Original Gangsters and Gatekeepers". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  16. ^ "Dorothi Fox | Actress". IMDb. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d Petski, Denise (August 31, 2021). "'Power Book III: LaToya Luckett, Omar Dorsey Among Four Set To Recur In Starz Prequel Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Petski, Denise (February 24, 2022). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan': Michael Rispoli & Paloma Guzman Join Starz Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  19. ^ Cordero, Rosy (October 20, 2022). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan': Tony Danza To Recur In Season 3". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (May 1, 2023). "Wendell Pierce & Erika Woods Join Starz's 'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' For Season 3". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Cordero, Rosy (December 11, 2023). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Adds Liv Symone To Season 3 Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  22. ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (April 17, 2024). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Adds Sibongile Mlambo & Paul Ben-Victor To Season 4 Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  23. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 20, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.18.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  24. ^ Berman, Marc (July 26, 2021). "Sunday Ratings: Night 2 of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Perks Up on NBC". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  25. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 3, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.1.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  26. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 10, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.8.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  27. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 17, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.15.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  28. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 31, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.29.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  29. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 8, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.5.2021 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  30. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 14, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.12.2021 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  31. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 21, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 9.19.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  32. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 28, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 9.26.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  33. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 16, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 8.14.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  34. ^ Salem, Mitch (August 23, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 8.21.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  35. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 30, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 8.28.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  36. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 7, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 9.4.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  37. ^ Salem, Mitch (September 13, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 9.11.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  38. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 20, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 9.18.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  39. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 4, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 10.2.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  40. ^ Salem, Mitch (October 11, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 10.9.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  41. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 18, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 10.16.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  42. ^ Salem, Mitch (October 25, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 10.23.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  43. ^ "Power Book III: Raising Kanan: Season 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  44. ^ "Power Book III: Raising Kanan". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  45. ^ "Shows A-Z – Power Book III: Raising Kanan on Starz". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  46. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Power Book III: Raising Kanan: Season Three Ratings". TV Series Finale. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  47. ^ Lawrence, Derek (February 9, 2020). "Power reveals four spin-offs in series finale teaser". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  48. ^ Marie Zorilla, Mónica (July 12, 2021). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Renewed for Season 2 by Starz Ahead of Series Premiere". Variety. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  49. ^ Toby, Mekeisha Madden (May 27, 2022). "Power Book III: Raq Reunites the Family in Season 2 Teaser — Get Premiere Date". TVLine. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  50. ^ Cordero, Rosy (August 11, 2022). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Scores Early Season 3 Renewal At Starz". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  51. ^ Cordero, Rosy (March 27, 2024). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Renewed For Season 5". Deadline. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  52. ^ "Power Book III: Raising Kanan: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
edit