Why Queen Latifahs The Equalizer was canceled by CBS after 5 seasons

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 more than 20 million live viewers.But the ratings declined over the years and the prime-time 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 dynam...