Asjha Cooper Brings a Familiar Power Name to Raising Kanan's Final Season

The final chapter of Power Book III: Raising Kanan is bringing a piece of the franchise's earliest history back to life. Asjha Cooper has joined the show for its fifth and closing season, according to Deadline, in a guest role that carries far more weight than it first appears. She plays a young woman introduced simply as Tiana, an escort working for Flossie Siegel, played by Leslie Grossman. But a recent episode peeled back that surface identity to reveal something longtime viewers will immediately recognize.

A Name That Echoes Through the Franchise

During the July 3 episode, Tiana's real name was revealed to be Jarita, tying Cooper's character directly to a figure introduced years earlier in the original Power series. Jarita first appeared in season two of that show, portrayed by Tasha Smith across three episodes. In that earlier timeline, Jarita was known as Kanan's former partner and the mother of his only child, Shawn, later played by Sinqua Walls.

Her final appearance came after a devastating phone call in which Kanan admitted to killing their son, and she was never seen on screen again. Bringing a younger version of Jarita into Raising Kanan gives the audience a rare chance to understand who this woman was before tragedy defined her.

Stepping Into a Role Without Knowing Its Weight

What makes Cooper's casting especially interesting is that she had no idea who she was reading for during the audition process. It wasn't until after she landed the part that showrunner and executive producer Sascha Penn reached out personally to walk her through the character's significance across the Power timeline.

Cooper had never watched the original series, so she immersed herself in Smith's earlier performances, studying her mannerisms, cadence, and physicality. At the same time, she made a deliberate choice not to simply imitate what came before, instead searching for her own version of a younger Jarita rather than treating the role as a pure recreation.

Where Tiana Fits Into Season Five

Inside the current storyline, Kanan, played by Mekai Curtis, crosses paths with Tiana after booking a night with her, only to learn she has ties to his estranged mother, Raq, portrayed by Patina Miller. Raq has recently entered a new business arrangement with Flossie and Pino Bernardi, played by Joe Pantoliano, centered on expanding operations into Manhattan.

As part of that partnership, Flossie's escorts, Tiana included, have started delivering narcotics alongside their regular work. The morning after their encounter, Tiana opens up to Kanan and eventually shares her real name with him. In a world built on secrecy and self-preservation, that small act carries real risk and signals a level of trust that rarely pays off for anyone in Kanan's orbit.

A Bridge to Power: Origins

Cooper's arc won't end when Raising Kanan wraps its final season. She's set to remain a guest star for the rest of the show's run before moving into a series regular role on the upcoming spin-off Power: Origins. That project, currently filming in New Jersey, will trace young Ghost, Tommy, and Kanan as they climb the ranks of the New York streets.

The announced cast includes Spence Moore II as Ghost, Charlie Mann as Tommy, Zuri Reed as Tasha, and Mekai Curtis reprising Kanan, alongside Jason Dirden, Jennifer Ferrin, Kelly McCreary, Hill Harper, Damon Gupton, Tonya Pinkins, Nadia Dajani, and Dominic Rains, among others. Origins will launch with eighteen episodes, making it the largest single-season order in the franchise's history.

The Bigger Picture for the Power Universe

Raising Kanan's fifth season also features Patina Miller, Shameik Moore, London Brown, Hailey Kilgore, Wendell Pierce, Erika Woods, Tony Danza, and Joe Pantoliano. Sascha Penn oversees both Raising Kanan and Origins as showrunner, working from a pilot he co-wrote with franchise creator Courtney Kemp.

Kemp continues to executive produce the wider Power universe through her company End of Episode, alongside Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson through G-Unit Film and Television, along with Mark Canton, Chris Selak, Kevin Fox, and Pete Chatmon. Lionsgate Television produces both series for Starz.

The renewed attention on Jarita also revives interest in her son Shawn, a key figure across the first two seasons of the original Power. As a child, Shawn watched his father get sent to prison and grew close to a young James "Ghost" St. Patrick, whom he called Uncle G and treated like a brother. A standout basketball player before an injury ended that path, Shawn eventually became Ghost's driver while coaching kids on the side.

When Kanan was released from prison, his fixation on revenge against Ghost for the setup that landed him behind bars ultimately consumed his relationship with his own son, ending in Shawn's death. Some fans have also pointed to a possible connection between Shawn's name and Kanan's best friend, Shawn "Famous" Figueroa, an up-and-coming rapper loyal to the Thomas family throughout Raising Kanan, adding one more thread connecting the franchise's past and present.