POWER: THE BEST URBAN CRIME DRAMA SINCE THE WIRE

Power is an American Crime Drama Television Series created and produced by Courtney A. Kemp and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. It aired on the Starz network from June 7, 2014, to February 9, 2020. Upon release, the show gained positive reviews and was one of Starz's most highly rated and most watched shows.

Power tells the story of James St. Patrick, a smooth and intelligent, yet, ruthless drug dealer who goes by the alias of "Ghost." He wishes to leave the criminal world to pursue legitimate business interests as a nightclub owner. St. Patrick aims to balance those two lives, while also avoiding police capture, trying to navigate his crumbling marriage and manage shifting personal and economic alliances.

The show also features Naturi Naughton, Michael Rainey Jr. and Donshea Hopkins, Joseph Sikora, Lela Loren, 50 Cent, Rotimi Akinosho, Shane Johnson, Jerry Ferrara, Sung Kang and Larenz Tate. It currently has a solid 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a comparable Audience Score of 80%. It also has a Metascore of 61 (based on 21 critic reviews) with a User Score of 7.7 on Metacritic, and an 8.1/10 on IMDB (based on almost 50,000 reviews).

There are very few shows that are great no matter how many times you watch them, but this show fits firmly in that category. The premise of the show is one that feels simple on its surface, but the story is expertly crafted, with lots of twists and turns that, upon giving it some thought, feel both surprising and inevitable all at the same time. The writing feels crisp and honest, even down to the accents and dialect of certain characters. The casting was extremely well done, especially the big four (Hardwick, Naughton, Loren and Sikora), making “Ghost” and “Tommy” the kind of characters that are sure to live on for years to come. And speaking of characters, the acting was very good throughout, especially from the more seasoned, adult actors in the cast.

The show has a sleek look, even for a show that began shooting its first season over a decade ago, and though I can’t find any hard numbers as it pertains to per episode budgets, it looks like the money that was spent to make Power was indeed money well spent, being a gigantic win the for the STARZ network, spawning three spin-off shows that are still on television to this day. Power was and continues to be a must watch show, averaging almost 2 million viewers per episode at the height of its popularity, with many more millions having tuned it since its initial run.

Most people seem to consider HBO’s “The Wire” as the best Urban Drama ever made, and though I’m not in the position to rebuke such a designation, I think that STARZ’s “Power” is the best Urban Drama made since. And, if you’re in the number of people who have watched Power from start to finish, or you happen to read this post and decide to do so, I’m more than sure you won’t be in the position to rebuke that notion either.

Power is available on STARZ (Cable), the STARZ app and HULU with subscription. It is available to buy (per Episode) on Vudu, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.