CBS has finally made its decision on its last scripted series but it may not be what fans of The Equalizer would want!
With the upfronts upon us, the networks are finalizing their schedules. That includes the final decisions on what shows will survive for another year. CBS has so far decided 99% of their scripted fare with several shows (FBI, NCIS, NCIS: Origins, Matlock) earning new seasons. Meanwhile, there were surprise cancellations of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International.
Notably left off the list so far was The Equalizer. The drama starring Queen Latifah as a former CIA agent turned urban avenger had been in the midst of its fifth season with word that CBS was in talks for a possible 13-episode sixth and final year.
Is The Equalizer coming back?
Sadly, that won’t come to pass as CBS has canceled the series after five seasons. This means the fifth season finale (ironically titled "Decisions"), which aired Sunday, May 4, will now be the series finale.
Latifah took to Instagram to post a message thanking the viewers for the series’ success and what it meant to her.
While that last line promises more fun from Latifah, it’s sad for fans to see the show end.
Why is The Equalizer being canceled?
As always, it comes down to the ratings. Per TVLine, The Equalizer has averaged 5.8 million total viewers (with Live+7 playback), down 27% from its Season 4 audience. Out of the 14 dramas that CBS has aired this TV season, it ranks No. 12 (besting only NCIS: Sydney and the canceled SWAT).
The show suffered in the Sunday night time slot having to follow NFL football and a new later time slot following Tracker. It was then pushed back another hour midseason for Watson. The time slot appears to have contributed to lowered ratings.
There’s also Latifah’s high contract as star/producer and the rest of the cast. While there were rumors they were willing to take pay cuts for another year, CBS decided to pull the plug on the series.
This comes after CBS already decided to pass on a planned spinoff of The Equalizer. Episode 16 acted as a “backdoor pilot” setting up the potential characters with Titus Welliver. It seems CBS wasn’t interested in turning this into a franchise.
Hopefully, the fifth season finale doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, as the producers wisely suspected this could be the end and left it with some closure. It’s unsure if the series could be picked up by another studio or streamer (it airs past seasons on Netflix), but for now, the adventures of The Equalizer appear to be finally done.
The Equalizer series finale airs Sunday May 4 at 10/9c on CBS.
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