Another show bites the dust.
“The Equalizer” starring Queen Latifah was canceled by CBS just two days before the Season 5 finale aired Sunday night.
The episode — which saw street vigilante Robyn McCall (Latifah) get engaged to her boyfriend Dante (Tory Kittles) — acted as the show’s series finale.
“The Equalizer” was a reboot of the 1985 series of the same name starring Edward Woodward. The first episode aired after the 2021 Super Bowl and scored over 20 million live viewers.
But the ratings declined over the years and the primetime thriller wasn’t renewed alongside other CBS shows in February.
At the time, Deadline reported that there was a chance the show could get a 13-episode sixth and final season.
The outlet also claimed that finances were the reason for the show’s future being in jeopardy. Latifah, 55, allegedly “agreed to concessions” to help the show’s chances at getting renewed.
In March, CBS pulled the plug on five other beloved law enforcement dramas, including “S.W.A.T.” and “FBI: Most Wanted.”
But the network waited to reveal the fate of “The Equalizer” until Friday.
Following the cancellation news, The Hollywood Reporter claimed that the show’s viewership dropped by almost 2 million in its final season, which moved to a later time slot. The series reportedly failed to reach 6 million viewers a week compared to last season’s 7.89 million viewers.
Due to the low ratings, the show’s spinoff was also officially pulled from consideration by CBS last month, after the airing of the spinoff’s backdoor pilot.
The spinoff was supposed 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 said in a new TV Insider interview conducted before the flagship series 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,” Wilson added.
Wilson, who helmed the series alongside fellow showrunners Andrew W. Marlowe, Terri Edda Miller and Adam Glass, told TV Insider that the final episode of “The Equalizer” was purposely designed as both a season and series 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 explained.
“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.”
Wilson also confirmed Robyn and Dante’s wedding was going to take place in Season 6. “I’m very ready to do the next chapter,” he said in the interview.
Latifah, who executive produced the series alongside production partner Shakim Comper, broke her silence on the show’s cancellation with an Instagram statement.
“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 also promised that she’ll “be back kicking ass in something new real soon. Can’t wait to share it with you.”
Latifah’s cast members Lorraine Toussaint, who portrayed Aunt Vi, and Laya DeLeon Hayes, who played Delilah, also reacted to the cancellation news on social media.
Toussaint, 65, said she was “so grateful and moved” that the viewers “graciously welcomed us into your homes and your lives for 5 extraordinary seasons,” while Hayes, 20, wrote that she was “honored to have grown up on this show” and called the role “an absolute gift.”
Back in 2021, Latifah ironically mentioned that the show would be on for around five years.
“The world needs to see a little justice for a while,” the star told Entertainment Weekly. “I think it is going to be something people are going to enjoy seeing for no less than five year.”
She also told the outlet that taking on the role 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 said, adding, “But my heart is in the right place.”
All episodes of “The Equalizer” are streaming on Paramount+.
