Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeKathryn Busby, who was hired by Starz in January to take over as president of original programming, joined a premium cable network with two major tentpoles: The “Outlander” and “Power” franchises.
So she did what any good network executive might do: She leaned into them.“They are monsters,” she says of the two worlds. “Power” ended its run in 2020 but spawned the spinoffs “Power Book II: Ghost,” “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” and “Power Book IV: Force.” (A fifth edition, a show starring Larenz Tate and set in the political world, will not be moving forward, Busby confirms.) And “Outlander,” which recently wrapped its sixth season (with a 16-episode Season 7 already ordered), is about to get its first scripted spinoff as well: The prequel “Outlander: Blood of My Blood,” which the network confirmed earlier this month.
Busby, who talked to Variety as Starz prepared to unveil its latest wares on Thursday at the network’s virtual TV Critics Assn.
press tour panel, says the two shows help define Starz, and its programming focus. “I like to say they’re shows that have swagger,” she says. “They are shows that are both premium and commercial.
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