The Equalizer season 6 will not be happening, as the CBS show is cancelled. It has been a time of uncertainty for the action drama, which stars the Oscar-nominated Queen Latifah as former CIA operative Robyn McCall. A planned spinoff of The Equalizer, which would have starred Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz, was ultimately scrapped after the backdoor pilot premiered. More significantly, for the past several months, it has been an open question as to whether The Equalizer season 6 will happen.
That question has now been answered, with Deadline reporting that The Equalizer has been cancelled. The season 5 finale, which will air on May 18 at 10 PM ET on CBS, will now serve as the series finale. It is also noted that the writers crafted the episode in a way that would serve as a fitting farewell, with no plans to shop the action drama to other platforms.
Why CBS Cancelled The Equalizer After Five Seasons
Financial Considerations & A Packed Schedule Factored In
It had previously been reported that The Equalizer could potentially be renewed for a sixth and final season, with a shortened episode count. The team behind The Equalizer, including executive producer Queen Latifah, had agreed to bring down the budget to the level that CBS was hoping for and make concessions. Ultimately, however, that wasn’t enough to save the series.
The action drama is a co-production between CBS Studios and Universal Television, continuing the trend of CBS cancelling some of the series that are in partnership with other studios. These can sometimes complicate renewals despite solid ratings. FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted, also a co-production with Universal Television, were likewise cancelled. However, the network did pick up the upcoming spinoff CIA. The original FBI, already renewed, is also a Universal TV co-production.
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Another factor to consider is that CBS has a packed schedule with returning and new shows for the 2025-2026 broadcast television season. In the latter category, there will be the Fire Country spinoff Sheriff Country, Blue Bloods spinoff Boston Blue and the FBI spinoff CIA, along with the new comedy DMV. All these shows, with the aforementioned exception of CIA, are produced by CBS Studios.
Our Take On The Equalizer’s Cancellation
At Least There Will Be A Goodbye
If nothing else, the action drama has benefited from the fact that it has been on the bubble. The writers kept this in mind, reportedly writing a season finale that will fittingly double as a series finale. The specifics of the cancellation are frustrating. But, if nothing else, at least there will be a bit of closure for Robyn and the rest of The Equalizer‘s characters after so many seasons.
Source: Deadline
The Equalizer
- Release Date
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February 7, 2021
- Showrunner
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Andrew W. Marlowe
- Directors
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Liz Friedlander
- Writers
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Andrew W. Marlowe