CBS has officially silenced The Equalizer. The network has opted not to bring back the Queen Latifah-led drama for a sixth season, ending Robyn McCall’s run after five years fighting for the underdog. While there were discussions about a possible abbreviated final season, CBS ultimately decided to pull the plug entirely, leaving the series finale, which aired Sunday, to stand as an unexpected conclusion.
Money, it seems, talks louder than justice. Even with producers agreeing to trim the budget, the network deemed The Equalizer too costly to continue. This cancellation comes as part of a larger cost-cutting wave at CBS, which also saw FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International, S.W.A.T., and Poppa’s House get the axe. Interestingly, the creative team behind The Equalizer apparently sensed the writing on the wall, crafting the Season 5 finale so that it could work as a series ender.
The Equalizer, which debuted after the Super Bowl in 2021, never quite achieved blockbuster status for CBS, landing mid-pack in the network’s ratings. Still, the show built a loyal following, drawn to Latifah’s portrayal of the former CIA operative who uses her considerable skills to help those with nowhere else to turn. The cancellation leaves a gap in CBS’s lineup, one they’re looking to fill with three new dramas: Sheriff Country (A Fire Country spin-off), Boston Blue (a Blue Bloods spin-off), and CIA (an FBI spin-off – interesting given the fact that two of the three FBI shows were cancelled).
