Robyn McCall will continue righting wrongs for another season.
CBS has ordered a fifth season of The Equalizer, its drama series starring Queen Latifah (who also executive produces) as McCall, a former CIA operative turned freelance problem-solver for people who have nowhere else to turn. The show is a reimagining of the 1985-89 series of the same name and not connected to the Denzel Washington-led film franchise that’s also inspired by the original series.
With the renewal, The Equalizer will pass the original series in the number of seasons it has aired (though not yet in episode count — the 1980s series ran for 88 episodes, and the current show will end this season with 56).
With the pickup of The Equalizer, CBS has only one scripted series — NCIS: Hawai’i — awaiting word on its future. The network plans to announce its 2023-24 schedule May 2.
“The Equalizer, led by the incomparable Queen Latifah, has all the best elements of a powerful drama,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach said in a statement. “The series is stacked with suspense, heroism, high stakes and formidable characters our audience roots for. We look forward to another dynamic season.”
The series has been a solid ratings draw throughout its run and remains so in season four. The Equalizer is averaging 7.89 million viewers in Nielsen’s most current ratings (a combination of seven-day linear numbers and shorter-term measurements for the most recent episodes) and rises to more than 10 million across all platforms with five weeks of viewing.
Lorraine Toussaint, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira and Laya DeLeon Hayes star alongside Queen Latifah. The Equalizer comes from Universal Television in association with CBS Studios. Joseph C. Wilson and Adam Glass are co-showrunners and executive produce with Andrew Marlowe, Terri Edda Miller, Dana Owens (Queen Latifah), John Davis, John Fox, Debra Martin Chase, Richard Lindheim (co-creator of the original series), Shakim Compere and Loretha Jones.
Keep track of all the renewals, cancellations and new series orders at the networks with THR’s broadcast scorecard.
