The HBCU reason Jukebox was written out of Starz ‘Power’

Power fans were stunned when Jukebox was killed off during Season 4 of the original series, but behind the scenes, the character’s reduced role came down to another television opportunity for Anika Noni Rose, one with HBCU ties. Rose portrayed the adult version of Jukebox in seasons three and four of the original Power that aired in 2016 and 2017

In an interview published by Deadline in September 2016, Power creator Courtney Kemp originally envisioned a much larger role for Jukebox during the fourth season. Those plans changed after Rose landed the lead role in BET’s The Quad.

“Well, that had been the idea but Anika booked a lead role on a BET series. It’s one of the problems of having this novelistic set of characters, which is you can’t put everybody on a contract. So as much as I would have loved to really have Anika’s Jukebox be a huge part of Season 4, that huge role may have to wait because she has other things she’s doing. And, you know Anika is so talented, I would never imagine that I could get her to wait around to just do this part,” Kemp said.

When Deadline asked if Jukebox would appear in season four at all, Kemp confirmed her involvement but did not give the extent of it.

“No, we’ll see her in four for sure. We’ll definitely see her in Season 4, there’s no question, just not as much as I had planned.”

Rose appeared in three episodes of season four, last appearing in Episode 6 (which aired July 30, 2017), after her attempt to kidnap Tariq St. Patrick and extort Ghost for money ended with her cousin, Kanan, fatally shooting her. Rose then went on to star as Dr. Eva Fletcher in The Quad, portraying a former Ivy League university president who takes over as the leader of a struggling HBCU in Atlanta known for its nationally recognized marching band.

The series followed Fletcher as she attempted to rebuild the institution while navigating controversy surrounding her departure from her previous university after a scandal involving a romantic relationship with a graduate student. Although The Quad developed a passionate fan base during its run on BET, it lasted just two seasons, airing in 2017 and 2018. After the show’s cancellation in 2018, creator Felicia D. Henderson addressed the decision on social media.

“Unfortunately, the second season’s ratings were never as high as the first season’s. We are so proud of the show — the stories we told, the performances in front of the camera, the hard work behind the scenes, and the commitment of our fans.”

The role was a full-circle moment for Rose, who is an alumna of Florida A&M University. Her portrayal of Dr. Fletcher gave one of the entertainment industry’s most accomplished HBCU graduates the opportunity to lead a series centered on HBCU life.

Meanwhile, Jukebox’s death became one of the defining moments in Kanan Stark’s story, as fans await seeing the moments that turn Jukebox into the character she became once she became an adult. Time will tell if Jukebox’s journey will be displayed in Power: Origins following the conclusion of Raising Kanan, but Anika Noni Rose set the standard for the character before ultimately moving on to lead her HBCU-based show.

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