One other present bites the mud.
“The Equalizer” starring Queen Latifah was canceled by CBS simply two days earlier than the Season 5 finale aired Sunday night time.
The episode — which noticed avenue vigilante Robyn McCall (Latifah) get engaged to her boyfriend, Dante (Tory Kittles) — acted because the present’s collection finale.
“The Equalizer” was a reboot of the 1985 collection of the identical title starring Edward Woodward. The primary episode aired after the 2021 Tremendous Bowl and scored greater than 20 million dwell viewers.
However the rankings declined through the years and the prime-time thriller wasn’t renewed alongside different CBS exhibits in February.
On the time, Deadline reported that there was an opportunity the present may get a 13-episode sixth and remaining season.
The outlet additionally claimed that funds have been the rationale for the present’s future being in jeopardy. Latifah, 55, allegedly “agreed to concessions” to assist the present’s probabilities at getting renewed.
In March, CBS pulled the plug on 5 different beloved legislation enforcement dramas, together with “S.W.A.T.” and “FBI: Most Wanted.”
However the community waited to disclose the destiny of “The Equalizer” till Friday.
Following the cancellation information, the Hollywood Reporter claimed that the present’s viewership dropped by nearly 2 million in its remaining season, which moved to a later time slot. The collection reportedly failed to achieve 6 million viewers per week in comparison with final season’s 7.89 million viewers.
As a result of low rankings, the present’s spinoff was additionally formally pulled from consideration by CBS final month, after the airing of the spinoff’s backdoor pilot.
The spinoff was presupposed to star Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz as father and daughter Elijah and Samantha Reed.
“That [spinoff] would’ve been fantastic,” “The Equalizer” showrunner Joe Wilson stated in a brand new TV Insider interview performed earlier than the flagship collection was canceled.
“It was going to be in Atlanta. And so it would’ve been fun. It would’ve been more of a different type of family dynamic,” he added.
Wilson, who helmed the collection alongside fellow showrunners Andrew W. Marlowe, Terri Edda Miller and Adam Glass, advised TV Insider that the ultimate episode of “The Equalizer” was purposely designed as each a season and collection finale.
“We didn’t want to end with a cliffhanger. Shows get a little older. We are going into our sixth season budget, and money becomes an issue,” he defined.
“We weren’t sure what was going to happen, and if we did end up on that wrong side, we did not want the fans to feel incomplete or cheated in any way,” Wilson continued. “So we designed it in a way that can feel like an ending, but there’s so much more to unpack.”
He additionally confirmed Robyn and Dante’s marriage ceremony was going to happen in Season 6. “I’m very ready to do the next chapter,” he stated within the interview.
Latifah, who executive-produced the collection alongside manufacturing companion Shakim Compere, broke her silence on the present’s cancellation in an Instagram assertion.
“Stepping into a kick-ass role like Robyn was everything I hoped it would be,” the actress wrote. “The Equalizer blew past every dream we had for it, and having the opportunity to do this for five seasons honestly feels surreal.”
Latifah continued: “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.”
She additionally promised that she’ll “be back kicking ass in something new real soon. Can’t wait to share it with you.”
Fellow forged members Lorraine Toussaint, who portrayed Aunt Vi, and Laya DeLeon Hayes, who performed Delilah, additionally reacted to the cancellation information on social media.
Toussaint, 65, stated she was “so grateful and moved” that the viewers “graciously welcomed us into your homes and your lives for 5 extraordinary seasons,” whereas Hayes, 20, wrote that she was “honored to have grown up on this show” and known as the position “an absolute gift.”
Again in 2021, Latifah paradoxically talked about that the present can be on for round 5 years.
“The world needs to see a little justice for a while,” the star advised Leisure Weekly. “I think it is going to be something people are going to enjoy seeing for no less than five year.”
She additionally advised the outlet that taking over the position was a “no-brainer.”
“Maybe I said yes a little too soon, because I don’t have the same knees I did when I was 25,” Latifah stated, including, “But my heart is in the right place.”
All episodes of “The Equalizer” are streaming on Paramount+.
