Power Book IV: Force is coming to an end in a near-perfect way. It’s also ending too soon, because the Starz drama is one of the actually great spinoffs in television. It’s a reminder that spinoffs and sequels aren’t just ways to build franchises. When they’re done properly, they raise the game for everyone.

In retrospect, it seems wild that it took three spinoffs for Tommy Egan to get his own show. Tommy was a natural choice to continue on, given how much Joseph Sikora had poured into his character, and Tommy’s prominence in the Power universe. Aside from Ghost, Tommy was the most memorable character in the original series, and there was much left to explore with him. When Power Book IV: Force was announced, it came with almost a sigh of relief.

Not that Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book III: Raising Kanan aren’t good shows, and not that there isn’t something to look forward to in the upcoming Power: Origins prequel (most notably Brilliant Minds actor Spence Moore II as the young Ghost). But Power Book IV: Force felt like the most dynamic extension of Power, because of how much potential Tommy had on his own. Who was he outside of his close relationship with Ghost? And who would he become? Tariq’s story in Ghost was more straightforward, easier to grasp because of Tariq being Ghost’s son and thus following that idea of family. Tommy’s story was going to be a mess, and that’s what gave Force its spark.

Audiences have learned so much more about Tommy Egan through Power Book IV: Force. And they don’t just know more about him, they have a greater appreciation of him. Most notably getting to meet JP Gibbs and seeing on screen that brotherly relationship—that further exploration of Tommy’s family has been huge in understanding why he is who he is and how he makes the choices that he does. Force has been able to look back at who Tommy was and forward at who he could be simultaneously, particularly in its last two seasons. It goes beyond just Tommy’s next step in the drug game.

That’s what many sequels and spinoffs get wrong. The ones that work are not just an extension of the basic story or moving it to a new place. They actually add something to the palette. Force may have shifted the action to Chicago, but Chicago has a substantive connection to Tommy and forces him to move forward as a character. There’s a story being told in Force that couldn’t have been told in Power or in Tommy’s prior appearances in Ghost. It’s a reckoning for Tommy Egan with himself and a decision about who he wants to be. Even heading into the Force finale, his idea of where he’s going is tested not just by his enemies, but emotionally as well.

The setup that Gary Lennon and his creative team have done for the Power Book IV: Force finale is further proof of why Force is such a great spinoff. Nobody necessarily sees Tommy Egan living a normal life with his girlfriend Mireya Garcia and their unborn child. But even so, the fans can’t also help but want that, because they care about Tommy beyond his being the protagonist they’ve followed from Power. There is a heart to the character, and to the show, that exceeds the guns, drugs and action element. All of that is action-packed and it’s entertaining, but Lennon and company have made an investment in their characters past what most other gangster series would have. Force isn’t as deep or complex as The Wire, but it has that same feeling that these characters are going somewhere, that there’s a point beyond who wins and who loses.

A large part of that comes from Joseph Sikora, who’s always made Tommy feel like a real person even when the character’s gone off the deep end, and has kept adding layers to him over twelve years and three shows. It’s incredibly rare for an actor to not only spend that much time with one character, but to get to play them in three distinctly different environments, and Force Season 3 is showing off all the work Sikora has done to get Tommy to this point. Lennon and the writers are going for broke blowing up Tommy’s world—they have nothing to lose—and Sikora has been able to dig deeper into Tommy’s emotions and vulnerabilities than he ever has before. And in a show that’s all about toughness and control, ironically that vulnerability has made him a more compelling character, because audiences can feel how real he is.

There are so many sequels and spinoffs these days that viewers have little reason to even pay attention to them. It seems like every other show ends up turning into a potential franchise. Power Book IV: Force is an exception to this trend. It took a character who very much wasn’t finished, and found a story that fit him. It feels like a whole separate and equally fulfilling chapter in Tommy Egan’s life. Spinoffs are great ideas when they serve the character, and Force has done incredibly well by Tommy Egan. All that it has to do now is give him an ending that finishes the puzzle.

Power Book IV: Force airs Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Starz. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Starz.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.