50 Cent is not happy with how Starz is treating his show "Power." The rapper and executive producer expressed his disappointment on social media, where he also threatened that he will pull out of the series if things do not get better.
July 30's episode of "Power" was supposed to feature two character deaths involving Jukebox (Anika Noni Rose) and Julio (J.R. Ramirez). But showrunner Courtney Kemp told Variety that the network did not order an extended episode run so that their stories could be properly fleshed out.
"Power" writers had no choice but to pack their deaths into one hour-long episode that Sunday, along with a few other story lines.
As a result, the treatment ended up half-baked as the plot around Jukebox and Julio fell short and lacking.
Leaving 'Power'
On his Instagram @50cent, the rapper asked with a hint of disappointment, "If the biggest show on your network doesn't mean anything, what does your network mean STARZ?"
50 Cent also stated that he is better off bringing his talent elsewhere, suggesting he could exit the series and leave Starz.
Starz said no
Courtney Kemp also discussed with Entertainment Weekly that producers asked in advance if Starz could give "Power" 12 episodes for season 4.
The writers apparently needed the extra episodes because their original plan was to tell one story involving Jukebox, Kanan (50 Cent), Ghost (Omari Hardwick) and Tariq (Michael Rainey, Jr.) and the kidnapping, and another story on Tommy's (Joseph Sikora) trip to Chicago.
But the cable network declined and made a 10-episode order only, which meant the writers had to cram everything in one go. Starz has not yet responded to 50 Cent’s rant, as of press time.
Not the first threat
But this wasn't the first time 50 Cent said he would drop out of "Power” because of unfair treatment. In December, the rapper also lashed out against the Hollywood Foreign Press when the show failed to get a Golden Globes nomination under the drama series category.
In another post on his Instagram, 50 Cent said that his character might as well die in season 4 because his efforts weren’t being recognized. He stated, "I accept my series "POWER" was not intended to be a signature show for the network, but it is the highest rated show."
Meanwhile, Starz already confirmed “Power” for a fifth season renewal in July 2016 because, as 50 Cent pointed out, the show does get decent ratings at 3.5 million per episode, as per Nielsen.
