Robyn McCall will answer the call no more. After five seasons on the network, Queen Latifah‘s crime drama series The Equalizer will not be renewed for a sixth run on CBS. The show was the last under the network’s purview that was awaiting a renewal decision for the 2025-26 season and, throughout that time, was believed to have about a 50/50 chance of getting picked up for one final pursuit of justice. During discussions with Universal Television, Queen Latifah was even believed to have made concessions to get the series back in the field one last time. The news comes not long after a proposed spin-off starring Bosch lead Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz was similarly axed despite a backdoor pilot earlier in the season.
Discussions for a sixth, 13-episode season had initially looked promising. According to Deadline, the team behind the series had agreed to bring the production budget down to the levels CBS had asked for. Alas, even with the extra work to meet the requirements laid out, there were never any guarantees that fulfilling those requests would equal a renewal. Instead, Queen Latifah will have to turn in her badge, as Universal Television has no plans of shopping the show to another network or streamer. This Sunday’s episode will serve as the series finale and, reportedly, creatives planned ahead and ensured the installment would still flow well as a sendoff for this version of McCall.
From the beginning, The Equalizer was a big deal for CBS, becoming just the fourth series on the network to be helmed by a Black woman and getting a premium launch pad, airing right after Super Bowl LV in 2021. A reimagining of the original series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, it featured Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, a seemingly average single mom on the surface who works as the titular Equalizer, a former CIA operative and defender of the downtrodden in a constant pursuit of redemption and ready to employ her skills at any moment to even the odds for the little guy. When not fighting for justice, she was busy raising her rebellious teenage daughter, Delilah, played by Laya DeLeon Hayes, and trying to make ends meet. The new spin on an old favorite was mostly a winner, finding success with viewers, not just with CBS audiences, but also Netflix subscribers. Hayes and Queen Latifah were joined in the series by Lorraine Toussaint, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, and Liza Lapira.
What Will ‘The Equalizer’s Final Mission Look Like?
How exactly the finale will bring closure to five seasons of action is unknown, but we do have an idea of the overarching story. McCall’s life-threatening latest run will end with her trying to get a reprieve as she embarks on a romantic getaway with Dante (Kittles). Unbeknownst to her, however, Salazar (Juan Javier Cárdenas) and his men are watching her every move. The recent promo sees the criminal crashing their trip and catching the pair off guard. Completely out-manned and out-gunned, she’s faced with a horrific decision in a nightmare scenario. Meanwhile, Aunt Vi (Toussaint) will aim to take the next step with Captain Curtis (Christopher B. Duncan), and Delilah comes face to face with her favorite author, setting up for an emotional finale for everyone.
The Equalizer series finale airs this Sunday, May 4, on CBS. After that, all episodes of the fan-favorite series will be available to stream on Paramount Plus.
via Collider