Starz frequently has a penchant for renewing original programming early—especially if a program is getting good buzz. Following a record-breaking Season 2 premiere, the subscription cable network has decided to go ahead and greenlight Power for a third season.
Obviously, we don't know much about Season 3. After all, we aren’t that far into Season 2, having only seen one episode of the drama, which follows Ghost St. Patrick as he deals with family life and various businesses, some illegal. We do know that Starz has signed on for 10 more episodes of Power; presumably those episodes will hit the schedule sometime in 2016. Production on Season 3 is scheduled to begin in September.
The move comes just a few days after Power’s Season 2 premiere hit the schedule, increasing in total viewership by 32% from the Season 1 finale. While Season 1 of the drama didn’t kick off particularly strongly, the Season 1 finale did finally hit more than a million total viewers in Live+SD ratings. The Season 2 premiere, however, showed a vast improvement even over that, with 1.43 million total viewers tuning in for Saturday’s episode. That number might not seem like a lot compared to network TV and some cable programs. Regardless, considering Starz’s original programming slate typically airs on Saturday and factoring in that the subscription cable format allows fans to tune in when they want, those numbers are actually pretty impressive. More than 3.63 million viewers had watched the premiere by the end of the weekend, making it the most-watched Starz premiere episode ever. So, it’s pretty easy to see why the network is signing on for more.
Starz has been using these early renewal tactics for a while, and they seem to be working. A few of the network's former and current programs have earned Season 2 renewals before the first episode has even premiered. This includes big budget period endeavors like Black Sails and the now-defunct Magic City. Other programs, including Power and Outlander have been renewed after only one episode has aired. Following record-breaking numbers with the Season 2 premiere, it’s no wonder Starz went ahead and pulled the same stunt with the Season 3 renewal.
If you haven’t given the series a shot, yet, Starz still has the Season 1 premiere of Power available to view online for free. Give it a shot. As the numbers show, a lot of people who are taking a chance on the drama are sticking with it. And reviews for Season 2 so far are much higher than the Season 1 reviews. The 50 Cent-produced drama looks like it could be around for quite some time.
