15 Black TV Characters Who Deserved A Prequel Series

Black America Web

5 days ago

Vinnie Zuffante
A little over a decade ago, habitual media mogul 50 Cent officially dived into the television biz by producing a crime drama series on Starz we know and love today as Power . Following an epic six-season run spanning from 2014 to 2020, the 'Power Universe' was born and led to two spinoffs ( Power Book II: Ghost , Power Book IV: Force ) and a prequel series ( Power Book III: Raising Kanan ) that each received rave reviews.
Following the conclusion of Ghost last year, and plans for both Raising Kanan and Force to end by 2026 — both are currently gearing up for finale seasons – it looks like we might be ready for the next chapters in this ongoing saga. Thankfully for the fans, it was reported earlier today (July 22) that two new shows are on the way in the form of a prequel titled Power: Origins and a spinoff set in present day with a working title of Power: Legacy .
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Origins , finally telling the story of a young Ghost and Tommy that's been alluded to on pretty much every show in the Power Universe, will also see the return of standout Raising Kanan star Mekai Curtis (seen above). Legacy on the other hand will see the return of present day Tommy (Joseph Sikora) and Ghost's infamous son Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) teaming up as it was hinted to in the final moments of the Ghost series finale. More details below, via Deadline :
''Power: Origins' follows Ghost and Tommy as ambitious young entrepreneurs on the rise, determined to make their mark on the streets of New York City. The show's logline says the new installment is a 'fun, rambunctious exploration of a new time in the Power franchise, which will highlight the unbridled audacity of young men on the rise, determined to become legends in the game.'
Deadline understands the lead roles of Tommy and Ghost have yet to be cast. MeKai Curtis will reprise the role of early adult Kanan Stark in the new series, which he has portrayed across all four seasons of 'Power Book III: Raising Kanan.' Franchise executive producer Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson played Kanan in the mothership series. 'Raising Kanan' is set to conclude with its fifth season, which is expected to premiere in 2026.
The franchise's first prequel introduced the character Branford 'Breeze' Frady (Shameik Moore), the nephew of street legends Snaps (Wendell Pierce) and Pop (Erika Woods), in the Season 4 finale. According to show legend, Breeze plays a significant role in Ghost's budding career as part of New York's criminal underworld. Depending on what happens in the final season of Raising Kanan, Moore could return for Power: Origins.''
As for Legacy , Deadline gave an update last month that confirmed a writer's room was officially open on the series. Details are still mum, so many are wondering if we'll see Tariq heading to Chicago, Tommy making his return to NYC or the pair packing up and going somewhere new altogether. We can't wait to find out!
Admittedly, all this prequel talk got us thinking about all the great Black characters in television history who definitely could've shined in their own prequel series. We rounded up 15 fictional faves, used a bit of imagination and concluded that any of these prequel ideas would've been pure gold. Ironically enough, some of the suggestions you'll see below were actually greenlit in some form or fashion. For example, John Diggle had big plans for an Arrow spinoff series, Justice U , before it was officially shelved back in May 2023. The same happened to Tichina Arnold back in the day with a purported Pam spinoff to Martin , as with Taraji P. Henson's planned Cookie spinoff to Empire that never materialized and most recently with the Daria spinoff for the character Jodie that would've been voiced by Tracee Ellis Ross. After six whole years of anticipation, MTVE Studios chose not to move forward with Jodie and said in a March 2024 statement, 'We have loved working with Tracee, Grace and the whole team on creating a film that is full of joy and genre-bending fun with an inclusive, diverse, and incredible cast. We are fully supportive of them finding a home elsewhere and look forward to partnering with them in the future.'
…justice for Jodie ! We want Cookie! Oh, and we'll still take whatever Pam is pushing out!
Keep scrolling for our choice of Black TV characters we all know and love that could've definitely used some more screen time in their own prequel origin story. Let us know if you agree:
Played By: Kim Fields
The outfits-per-episode alone would've made her even more of a style icon than what was already established on Living Single .
Played By: Gina Torres
Nobody gave it up to Syndey Bristow when it came to a beat-down quite like Anna Espinosa. We'd love to see where her training came from, and how she became so evil, before the events of Alias .
Played By: Taraji P. Henson
That unfiltered mouth would've had us in stitches for seasons!
Played By: Tichina Arnold
Those who saw the fourth to last Season 5 episode of Martin titled 'Goin' for Mine' got a preview of what this show would've looked like. Who knew they even had opening credits prepared?!
Played By: Khandi Alexander
A character so good at being bad, we would love to see her early days of espionage. Oh, and the quotables!
Played By: Nichelle Nichols
Although we no longer have the late Nichelle Nichols with us to give creative direction on a project like this, the thought of her legacy continuing on is a nice idea in itself.
Played By: Christopher Judge
All we have to say on the idea of a Teal'c prequel, which Judge himself tried to get off the ground, is one thing: 'Indeed!'
Played By: D.B. Woodside
An origin story about the son of a slain Slayer, raised by her Watcher in efforts to avenge his mom? Count us in!
Played By: J. August Richards
While Angel was still helping Buffy in Sunnydale, Gunn and his crew were the ones keeping Los Angeles safe. Now that would be a cool story to tell on the small screen!
Played By: Richard Biggs
We sadly lost the Doc in real life, but anything is possible when you're dealing with sci-fi. We'd be down for anything, as long as there's some tribute to Biggs.
Played By: Tituss Burgess
Titus is a character that's hilarious in every sense of the word, and we truly believe this potential series would sweep awards season in the comedy categories.
Played (Voiced) By: Diahann Carroll
A young Black actress with enough charisma to channel the regal Dominique Deveraux during her prime years is something we believe would make the late Diahann very proud.
Played (Voiced) By: Jessica Cydnee Jackson
We can only hope Tracee finds a home for the series, which was restructured as a TV movie before getting shelved, sooner rather than never.
Played By: David Ramsey
Justice for Justice U ! That's all there is to it.
Played By: LaKeith Stanfield
Outside of lead character Earn, played to perfection by Donald Glover, Darius easily had the most interesting character development and side stories. This would be an absolute win.
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