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Note: Contains major spoilers for Power.
US crime saga Power wrapped up its divisive fifth season with a knock-out finale that left the fate of one major character up in the air.
The show follows New York City nightclub owner James 'Ghost' St Patrick as he tries to extricate himself from the city's nefarious drug world, in which he is a well-known player.
A sixth season has already been commissioned. Such is the power of, erm, Power.
But it was revealed that number six would also be its last.
But this doesn't mark the end of the Power universe for good.
"Season six brings us to the end of what we know is just the first chapter of the Power story," Starz president of programming Carmi Zlotnik told TVLine.
"However, as one chapter comes to an end, another will begin. Courtney Kemp and 50 Cent have created a world rich with complex and dynamic characters, and there are a number of stories we plan to tell as we continue to explore and expand the Power universe."
She added: "[Future projects will] follow some of your beloved Power characters beyond the scope of the initial series... but we will play with your expectations of which characters, where and the master timeline of it all, creating a Power universe as unpredictable as the original."
It's already been confirmed that the first in a number of spin-offs planned for the show will be called Power Book II: Ghost.
Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee Mary J Blige will lead the show, continuing the star's successful foray into acting.
Speaking at the TCA press tour, Blige said: "I've known so many Tashas, I've known so many Ghosts. I’ve dated so many Ghosts. I'm a huge fan for life, and I'm so grateful to be a part of it."
Here's everything you need to know about Power season six.
Power season 6 release date: When's it on?
It was announced that the final season would arrive on Starz on Sunday, August 25, a month later than its usual July slot.
The first 10 episodes will air weekly from that date and then the final five episodes will end the show at the beginning of next year in January 2020.
In case that's not enough for Power-hungry fans, an aftershow called Power Confidential will also air after each episode in the final season, examining what's happening on the main show each week.
As for when season six lands on Netflix, expect the show to appear at a later date.
Power season 6 cast: Who's in it?
Before the fifth season aired, series creator Courtney A Kemp teased that "no-one" would be safe in the last chapter – and she wasn't kidding!
The 10-episode run saw Kanan (50 Cent) killed off in a violent encounter with the cops, while the season closer also concluded with Angela (Lela Loren) being shot in the chest by Tommy (Joseph Sikora), as Ghost (Omari Hardwick) looked on in horror.
Angela isn't dead yet, though, and Loren is expected to appear in season six in some capacity. Courtney Kemp told TVLine: "Lela is in season six, but I can't say what she's doing."
Kemp also told Entertainment Weekly that: "Angela's not dead. She's just shot."
Although 50 Cent's character won't return, he will still be working behind the camera, even directing his first episode of the show in Power's final season.
The rest of the show's regular characters are also expected to return, so that includes Ghost, Tommy, Tasha (Naturi Naughton), Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr), Dre (Rotimi Akinosho) and La La (LaKeisha Grant).
Other characters listed on Power's IMDb page are Cooper (Shane Johnson), Angela (Lela Loren), Joe (Jerry Ferrara), 2-Bit (Michael J Ferguson) and Jerry (Ty Jones).
There were also changes behind the scenes for the final season, with executive producer Gary Lennon becoming co-showrunner alongside Courtney Kemp.
"I am thrilled that Gary Lennon's contribution to Power has finally been recognised," Kemp told Deadline.
"Gary is a brilliant storyteller, a fantastic director, and one of my favourite people I've ever worked with. I'm excited to collaborate with him on this next season of Power and hope to work with him on multiple projects for years to come."
Power season 6 trailer: The final betrayal
Back in September last year, a teaser trailer for the upcoming season dropped, with one very big message: "The situation is critical."
The first official full-length trailer for the final season was revealed in July 2018, and it promises lots of action, drama and betrayals as everyone's out to catch Ghost while Ghost himself is out for revenge.
Watch it below.
Power season 6 plot: What's going to happen?
The show's official synopsis reads: "It picks up with James 'Ghost' St Patrick (Hardwick) seeking vengeance. His former drug partner and brother in arms must pay for the ultimate betrayal.
"Rocked to his core by the perfidiousness and cruelties of those he once called his family, Ghost devotes himself to one notion: success is the best revenge, with all intentions of getting both.
"Ghost aims to get even with Tommy (Joseph Sikora), get the Queens Child Project built to consecrate Raina's legacy, and finally achieve a thriving legitimate lifestyle with no criminal strings attached.
"Ghost's need to wrestle satisfaction and happiness from this world by any means necessary is the most dangerous he's ever faced. As the Feds grow closer to convicting him, Ghost must remain vigilant toward those wanting to take him down for his past criminal enterprises."
Kemp has acknowledged that "the death of [the] friendship" between Ghost and Tommy "in some ways is going to control at least the beginning of next season".
"Think of the dynamic between these two old friends now," she told Deadline. "'You made me kill my dad', 'You shot the woman I love, in an attempt to kill me'. Not a lot of conversation can be had there."
She added: "The story we're telling in season six is so good... it's so much better because it is really about the inevitability of choices. It's about the domino effect and it's about the things that have happened between Ghost and Tommy and how they are not things that can go back to the way it used to be."
Kemp also weighed in on Tariq's evolution, confirming to TVLine that Ghost's son would be "a Dre-level threat, or greater" next season.
Series creator Courtney Kemp explained to EW that season six will be "fun", even though it will also challenge audiences.
"I have a way to end this that's going to challenge the audience and be a different thing for TV," says Kemp. "For people who don't even watch the show, they may want to watch. It's scary, but it's fun. It's something we've never done before."
Kemp also took some time out to discuss the finale, suggesting that fans might find it divisive: "I want people to like it, but I also know that you can’t please everyone, especially with a series finale."
Whether fans end up liking the final episode or not, at least it won't be predictable. Kemp added: "This is not one of those situations where people are going to walk away from it going, 'Oh, I knew this was going to happen all along!'"
Power airs on Starz in the US and Netflix in the UK.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
