‘Power’ Gets Its Real Power From Having a Female Showrunner

The third season of Starz’ Power premieres this Sunday, July 17th, and is coming back as fierce as ever. The show stars Omari Hardwick as James “Ghost” St. Patrick, a man at the helm of one of Manhattan’s hottest nightclubs, as well as one of the city’s largest drug rings. He’s the guy the power surrounds: sometimes he’s got it, sometimes he’s after it and sometimes he’s trying his damn best to hold on to even the teensiest bit he has. However, there is one person who’s always got it in her hands, and that is showrunner Courtney A. Kemp.
She’s one of a (still) frustratingly low number of women at the reins of a television show, but there is no doubt she is not only paving, but plowing, the way for more. A story about a suave, fancy suit-wearing dude sounds like something most dudes would jump at the chance to work on, but thank goodness it’s Kemp behind the wheel here. Yes, she uses influences from her father for characters in the show. But it’s the fact that Joseph Sikora’s character, Tommy, is based on her best girl friend that is really intriguing and proof that inspiration knows no gender.

Kemp has worked on shows like The Bernie Mac Show, The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-0, and Beauty and the Beast, earning her great experience throughout her career. But it is her female instincts that have helped Power the most. (Having 50 Cent as an executive producer and star doesn’t hurt either, especially when it comes to the music.) This show could’ve been handed over to any dude. A topic like this: man who owns a sophisticated nightclub which is just a front for the fact that he is responsible for a huge chunk of the city’s drugs? It would be no surprise if material like this fell into the lap of a David Simon, a Terence Winter, hell, even a Martin Scorsese. It could be a show that became unnecessarily dangerous, violet and gory. And let’s be clear: this show is super dark and gritty and danger lurks around every corner. But gore and violence are kept to a commendable minimum. What Kemp understands about her show and the characters that live inside of it is that we care about their insides, we just don’t want to see them trickling down the street in every scene.
Obviously, in a world as threatening as the drug world, violence is inevitable. Several characters, big and small, have lost their lives. Some are quick shorts fired to the head, and the person responsible carries on. But the really important ones are the ones that linger, that haunt the characters, the viewers and the world of Power as a whole, making it what it is. The consequences are considered. Lives are changed, and it adds a layer of thoughtfulness to the story. The same can not always be said for a show where a man is making a lot of the decisions. In other words, a female presence is felt here.

And not only in the harsh physical scenes, but in the loving physical scenes as well. Power’s sex scenes get fans talking every single week, and with good reason. They are tender and realistic and sexy in a way that being on Starz allows them to be, without being obscene. Kemp is able to put as much of her influence in the brutal scenes as she is in the softer ones. This show is, in small ways, about drugs and nightclubs. But it’s mostly about relationships, and the ebbs and flows of them, as we are all familiar with. Ghost is always balancing the relationships around him, with his wife Tasha (Naturi Naugton), his reunited childhood crush Angela (Lela Loren) and most importantly, with his best friend and business partner, Tommy. Sure the marriages and hookups are emotional, but it is Ghost’s interactions with Tommy that haunt viewers the most.

Power is a show that relies heavily on the body language of its characters, sometimes even more so than the actual dialogue. While the sex scenes are exciting and titillating, it is the scenes where two characters are standing face to face, in unusually close proximity to each other, and feeling each other out. What these characters do not say rings so much louder than the words they speak. Especially between the men, which is endlessly refreshing to see. The intricacies of their conversations are fascinating, dripping with stoic faces masking hurt or confusion, instead of dropping in a bunch of “bros” and “dudes”.
There’s nothing “soft” about Power: it tells a dark story and it does it well. But having a female call the shots gives it an influence that doesn’t make it unnecessarily bro-y, masculine or trying too hard to be, well, hard, and it helps the show appeal to both men and women in a variety of ways. The gentleness of the characters exaggerates the moments when they have to be harsh. And when it boils down to it: Kemp just does a damn good job with this show. The storylines, characters, and action are all balanced out in a way that keeps viewers intrigued week to week, and we’re all just grateful she’s the one in power.
[Where to stream Power]