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Starz has extended its time in “Power,” picking up a sixth season of its top-rated series several months before Season 5 is set to debut



The channel says the fifth season of the show will debut July 1. The early renewal is a sign of commitment to the show.

Starz also says that “Power” executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will direct an episode of the sixth season, which will likely air in 2019.

“Power” is the highest-rated series on Starz by a pretty wide margin. Season 4 averaged a 0.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 1.76 million viewers for initial airings. Starz says multiplatform viewing — DVR, on-demand, streaming and on-air replays — brought in 9.3 million viewers per episode last season.

Created by Courtney A. Kemp, the show stars Omari Hardwick as a one-time drug kingpin who’s trying to leave that life behind and establish himself in the legit world. The cast also includes Naturi Naughton, Joseph Sikora and Lela Loren.