CBS revealed in a May 2 announcement that Queen Latifah will star as street vigilante Robyn McCall in “The Equalizer” for the very last time in this upcoming episode. CBS has decided to cancel the beloved drama, terminating a five-season run.
“The Equalizer” is an anchor point of the network’s Sunday night lineup, but the Latifah-led series will not be continuing with a sixth season.
May 4 will act as both the series and season finale for Season 5, and it is titled “Decisions.”
The show originally aired in 2021 and is a primetime drama that features Latifah as a former CIA operative and current mom who helps others. The show is a reimagining of the beloved 1980s CBS series, with Latifah playing McCall to use her iconic special set of skills to help those in need.
“The Equalizer” is the fourth network primetime drama headlined by a Black woman, and was kicked off with a series premiere alongside the Super Bowl.
Deadline reported that Latifah’s “The Equalizer” is the very last CBS show that was awaiting a verdict on its renewal status for the network’s 2025-26 schedule announcement, which will drop in full on May 7.
“The Equalizer” was being considered for a 13-episode sixth-season run to act as the final season.
The “U.N.I.T.Y.” singer opened up about the news with an Instagram post featuring a photo of her in the role of McCall on May 2. Backed by a Cleo Sol song titled “Know That You Are Loved” Latifah thanked her fans in a heartfelt message.
Latifah wrote, “Stepping into a kick-ass roll 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. 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.”
The Emmy Award-winning actress continued to thank all of those involved with creating the show and told her fans not to worry — as they would be seeing her again very soon.
“Thank you to our amazing cast, crew, 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,” Latifah continued.
“And don’t worry-I’ll be back kicking ass in something new real soon. Can’t wait to share it with you. All my [love] QL.”
CBS has been making some big changes to its primetime lineup, and recently, many shows that were awaiting decisions on their run were given bad news. Long-running comedy starring Cedric the Entertainer, “The Neighborhood,” was renewed for its eighth season, but dramas “FBI: Most Wanted,” “FBI: International,” “The Equalizer,” and S.W.A.T.” and freshman sitcom Poppa’s House” were all canceled.
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