10 Huge TV Shows That Have Been Sued For Being Complete Rip-Offs
7. Power
The success of 50 Cent’s gritty Starz show Power represents a turnaround in fortunes for the rapper, who was forced to declare himself bankrupt last year after racking up a staggering $28 million of unpaid debt. Just when things were starting to look up for 50, however, he got hit with his biggest lawsuit yet.
A writer named Larry Johnson is suing 50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson), claiming that the Power producer stole the idea from his manuscript Tribulation of a Ghetto Kid, which he sent to an employee of G-Unit books named Nikki Turner back in 2005. Johnson alleges that Turner showed the manuscript to Jackson, who sat on the idea for some time before deciding to pass it off as his own.
The main characters in Power and Tribulation of a Ghetto Kid are both former drug dealers trying to become legitimate businessmen, they both own the hottest club in their respective cities, and they both sport goatees. Johnson also pointed out that the name of Power’s lead character (Ghost) is actually his pen name.
This one is probably some way from reaching a conclusion, and while some of Johnson’s perceived similarities seem less striking and more like clutching at straws, Jackson won’t be sleeping easy at night knowing that the plaintiff is suing for damages in the region of $200 million.