Why CBS Canceled Queen Latifah's The Equalizer

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After five seasons, Robyn McCall is calling it quits. That's because CBS has decided to cancel Queen Latifah's "The Equalizer." While the show's status had been up in the air, the network has officially opted not to renew the show for a sixth season. Thus, the season 5 finale serves as the series finale.

According to Deadline, "The Equalizer" season 5 will be the show's last, after much back and forth on the part of CBS. However, the show's creative team did write the season finale in a way that ensures audiences won't be left with a frustrating cliffhanger like the one "Dark Angel" had back in the day. There will be a proper ending, even if it wasn't necessarily conceived as a definitive series finale.

What's more, it was also confirmed in the report that the show won't be shopped to other networks or streaming services in an attempt to save it. That has happened several times in the past, such as with "Lucifer" going from Fox to Netflix. A possible "Equalizer" spin-off series is also not moving forward at the network. So this is truly the end of the road for fans of the series.

The CBS series was a reimagining of the classic series with Queen Latifah starring as Robyn McCall. She's a woman with a mysterious background who uses her particular set of skills as a former CIA operative to help people who have nowhere else to turn. On the surface, McCall is just an average single mom raising her teenage daughter. But to a small group, she's an anonymous guardian angel to the oppressed.

So, why did CBS decide to cancel "The Equalizer" without giving it a season 6? As is often the case, it comes down to money. In the case of network television, money has a pretty direct relationship with ratings. Yes, this show does enjoy a second life on Paramount+, but for the most part, the network relies on viewership to make it make sense. That being the case, the producers reportedly even agreed to reduce the budget of the show to try and make a sixth and final season happen.

That still didn't get the job done. That brings us back to the question of why? "The Equalizer" launched in 2021 in a prime post-Super Bowl spot, making it an instant hit and a reliable player in the ratings department. The problem? It was not an in-house CBS production. Rather, the series hails from Universal Television, meaning that whatever money there is to be made needs to be split between more parties. So being a modest hit wasn't quite enough to justify a further continuation in 2026 and beyond.

Only massive, surefire hits such as the "Big Bang Theory" spin-off "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" can justify a co-production on a major network like CBS these days. As cord-cutting continues to rise in the age of streaming and audiences continue to splinter, networks have to be more careful than ever when it comes to putting together a programming schedule. Unfortunately for fans of this show, the math no longer made sense.

There is some good news as the franchise will live on, albeit in a very different way. Denzel Washington is set to return as Robert McCall in "The Equalizer 4" and "The Equalizer 5," which are in development at Sony Pictures. Those movies are, admittedly, a very different take on the character though.

Several members of the cast took to social media in the aftermath of the cancellation news to share their thoughts. "I am so grateful and moved that you loyal viewers who have so graciously welcomed us into your homes and your lives for 5 extraordinary seasons," Lorraine Toussaint, who played Violan on the series, said on Instagram. "Thank you to an amazing crew and cast who have become family. I have loved playing Aunt Vi. Thank you, @queenlatifah. The love is so real."

Tory Kittles, who played Detective Marcus Dante, took to Instagram as well, adding, "Thank you to all who made these five seasons a success. Especially the fans who showed so much love. Dante, out." Liza Lapira, who played Melody, also shared a passionate post on her Instagram page. "A show doesn't run for 5 seasons without great fans. The Equalizer fans are passionate and outspoken. I know this because I've met a lot of you," she said. "Putting a Filipino-American character like Melody Bayani on prime time television for five years has meant the world to me."

Latifah, as the show's fearless leader, also took to Instagram to share some words now that the show is going off the air.

"Stepping into a kick-ass role like Robyn was everything I hoped it would be. Shakim and I at Flavor Unit are always excited to bring these kinds of roles and projects to life—and then we just hope you love them as much as we do. The Equalizer blew past every dream we had for it, and having the opportunity to do this for five seasons honestly feels surreal. Thank you to our amazing cast, crew, and producers and writers! And I can't say enough about the FANS! Y'all have been so loyal, so loud, and so ride-or-die—and that's exactly why we keep doing this. We can't thank you enough. It means the world to us.

"Don't worry — I'll be back kicking ass in something new real soon. Can't wait to share it with you," she concluded.

You can grab your favorite season of "The Equalizer" on DVD from Amazon.