The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah was just canceled by CBS after five seasons. Unfortunately, the drama series is not coming back for a sixth season on the network, and now, we're learning some of the reasoning behind the show's cancellation.
According to a TV Line report, Amy Reisenbach, the CBS Entertainment President, commented on The Equalizer ending and said it's "never easy" to end these beloved shows like The Equalizer.
Here's what Reisenbach said about the series:
“It’s never easy to end shows, and we had a lot of options this year. We always have to look at all of our shows, look at the aggregate information — the creative, where they are in their life cycle, what the finances look like, what the ratings are — and we make those tough decisions."
And, they are tough decisions. There's a lot on the line, including the livelihoods of the hundreds of people it takes to bring these shows to life. Looking at the ratings and where the show was in its run, it's easy to see why fans were concerned about The Equalizer. It's also clear why CBS made the decision to end the series when you look at The Equalizer compared to other CBS shows. As the TV Line report indicated, The Equalizer was the 12th-most popular CBS drama out of 14 CBS dramas. Even if the budget was smaller than other CBS dramas, it's still a hard sell to renew a show that ranks at the bottom of a lineup for a broadcast network.
The New York Post also cited falling ratings as a cause of the cancellation amid talk that The Equalizer would be renewed for a sixth and final season.
Again, it often comes down to business metrics and numbers when it comes to these decisions, but it's still a bummer for fans and those who work on the show. I'm sure fans are used to this process, especially those who are familiar with broadcast TV, but it still stings, nonetheless.
On the bright side, which is actually not that bright, Reisenbach revealed that The Equalizer producers and creative team were informed that the end could be near, according to the report. So, there was at least a little bit of time to craft some of the storylines and bring some level of resolution to those stories.
The Equalizer season 5 finale, which is now the series finale, aired on Sunday, May 4, on CBS.
Here's what Reisenbach said about that:
“Equalizer did have some notice that this might be the end. They wrote a really satisfying ending for fans. And it’s always sad to say goodbye to shows, but they’ve been incredibly classy. Again, we make the tough decisions in order to benefit the best version of the schedule.”
So, that's officially the end of the road for the series. I'm sure that some fans will hope a streamer would come in and pick up the show for another season. That happens basically every time a show is canceled these days, and for good reason. We've seen with Netflix and others on occasion. With that said, I'm assuming that's not going to happen here. It feels like this is the end of the line for The Equalizer.
We'll share more news about The Equalizer's cancellation and what's said about the end of the series as we find out. Stay tuned!