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'Power' New York Premiere

Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty

The second season of Starz’s 50 Cent-produced drama Power is right around the corner and early trailers prove there are some crazy plotlines in store.

Now is obviously the time to be catching up on the first season and if you needed a reason, have five.

1. The First Season Was Just The Set-Up

As with many shows, the first season of Power was almost like an extended teaser and served mostly to introduce the characters at hand. It may have moved a bit slow at first but with the first eight episodes down the show is set to burst out of the gate for its season 2 premier.

2. Power Can Afford To Get Edgy

On a premium network like Starz Power doesn’t have to worry about toning down the content to satisfy the FCC. We already saw that the show isn’t holding anything back in its first season and while the explicit language is the most obvious benefit of the lack of censorship, the series can afford to feel a bit more like real life for that reason and more. Especially when handling subject matter as grim as New York City’s drug trade it’s nice to know they won’t have to sugarcoat the second season either.

3. There Are Ten Episodes This Time…

When a network increases the number of episodes per season in a show it usually means they’re doubling down and digging deeper. The second season of Power is getting a two-episode bump from last year’s eight epi arch, which, if nothing else, means Starz is definitely committed for the long-haul. It also means there’s more space for the writers to develop the characters and take their time building up a plot climax, which seems like exactly what they’re doing.

4. Ghost’s Troubles Are Just Starting

Last season we watched James “Ghost” St. Patrick, who is played by Omari Hardwick, attempt to keep his legitimate nightclub business afloat by diving into the drug business head on. In a trailer for season 2 we see that Ghost is still struggling with his legal business while his shady side grind is getting more complicated by an affair he’s having with his ex-flame Angela who just so happens to be an Assistant US Attorney investigating his drug network. Basically, the clock is ticking and Ghost has a lot of ground to make up.

5. The Show Is Empire’s Biggest Competition For Good Reason

50 Cent and Empire star Taraji P. Henson had a lighthearted back-and-forth earlier this year as the rapper continually hounded the wildly popular Fox series for ripping his show off. While 50 might have been stretching a bit with his claims, the “beef” highlighted the fact that Empire and Power are indeed each other’s most direct competition.

In a recent interview with Hollywood Life the Power producer explained why one of the show’s greatest assets is time. “The first season was introducing you to the characters,” he told the site. “Empire‘s first episode was our entire first season! Cookie comes home after 17 years of jail. Kanan’s character, you don’t see him in jail until episode three. They move so fast, because they can’t get into the depths of the world that they’re in. If you miss an episode, you can kind of get lost. You can just enjoy the character on this show. This one, you kind of feel like you’re watching real people; it’s like ten individual films that connect.”

We think TV is better with both shows on air and the fact that Power will run while Empire is on its break makes it an easy sell to keep up with both.

Watch the return of Power on the Starz network beginning on Saturday, June 6 at 9pm ET/PT.

5 Reasons To Watch The Brand New Season Of ‘Power’  was originally published on theurbandaily.com