The Equalizer is an American crime drama television series that aired for five seasons on CBS from February 7, 2021, to May 4, 2025. It is the reboot of the original series of the same name created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. The series is co-created by executive producers Lindheim, with Sloan, and Queen Latifah, who also stars as the titular character. John Davis, John Fox, Debra Martin Chase, Andrew Marlowe, and Terri Miller also serve as executive producers.
In May 2025, the series was canceled after five seasons.
The series centers on Robyn McCall, an enigmatic woman in New York City and single mother to teenage daughter, Delilah, with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn, acting as a guardian angel and a defender for those who cannot defend themselves while pursuing her own redemption.
In November 2019, CBS announced that a reboot was in development with Queen Latifah in the lead role as Robyn McCall. Andrew Marlowe and Terri Miller would serve as showrunners with Latifah herself as an executive producer. On January 27, 2020, CBS issued a pilot order for the new version. Production companies involved with the pilot include Flavor Unit, Davis Entertainment, Martin Chase Productions and CBS Television Studios and Universal Television. On May 8, 2020, it was announced that the production had been given a series order. On March 9, 2021, CBS renewed the series for a second season. On May 1, 2022, Marlowe and Miller stepped down as showrunners and are being replaced by Joseph C. Wilson and Adam Glass. On May 5, 2022, CBS renewed the series for its third and fourth seasons. On April 25, 2024, CBS renewed the series for a fifth season. On May 2, 2025, CBS canceled the series after five seasons.
In February 2020, it was announced that Liza Lapira and Lorraine Toussaint had been cast alongside Queen Latifah in the pilot's lead roles. On March 3, 2020, it was announced that Tory Kittles joined the cast in a starring role. On May 8, 2020, it was announced that Chris Noth joined a starring role along with Latifah. On December 21, 2021, CBS and Universal Television announced Noth was terminated from the series after sexual assault allegations were made against him. His final appearance was in the middle of the second season. On January 3, 2022, it was reported that Noth had made his last appearance in "Separated" due to allegations that he assaulted women in December 2021. On September 20, 2022, it was announced that Donal Logue and Gloria Reuben joined the cast in undisclosed capacities for the third season.
The pilot was slated to film in New York City in March 2020. Production was delayed as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States before filming could begin. On February 9, 2021, it was reported that production had been temporarily suspended due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Filming for the series has taken place in several locations in northern New Jersey, including Paterson, Newark, and Jersey City. Exterior shots of a Jersey City home are used for Robyn McCall's residence.
The Equalizer premiered on February 7, 2021, after Super Bowl LV on CBS. The second season premiered on October 10, 2021. The third season premiered on October 2, 2022. The fourth season premiered on February 18, 2024. The fifth season premiered on October 20, 2024. The full series is available on Paramount+ in the U.S. The first three seasons became available on Netflix in the U.S. at the end of the December 2024, where it became one of the top ten series in minutes viewed based on Nielsen ratings across both streaming services. The first four seasons became available on the free streaming service Tubi in March 2025.
The series had its series premiere in Germany on Sky One on July 12, 2021, in the UK on Sky Witness on August 3, 2021, and in Italy on Sky Investigation (local version of Sky Witness) on October 3, 2021.
On May 19, 2020, a 30-second teaser featuring Queen Latifah explaining her involvement in the series was released by CBS. On January 9, 2021, CBS released the first official teaser for the series.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the show's first season has an approval rating of 67% based on reviews from 30 critics, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Queen Latifah returns to the small screen in full command of her craftâÂÂif only The Equalizer overly-engineered early episodes were on her level." On Metacritic (which uses a weighted average), the season has a score of 57 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
In January 2021, when asked about the show's relationship to the film series starring Denzel Washington, Marlowe stated that while they are focusing on establishing the television series to stand on its own, they are leaving the opportunity open for a crossover between the two in the future.
Deadline reported in November 2024 that CBS was exploring a spin-off of the show with two new characters, later reported to be played by Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz, set to guest star in an episode of the main series set to air in the second quarter of 2025 as a backdoor pilot. In April 2025 after the airing of the episode, it was reported that the spin-off would not be moving forward at CBS.