Five seasons. That is the number you’re looking for. If you’ve been following Robyn McCall’s journey since that explosive Super Bowl debut back in 2021, you might have been hoping for a decade-long run, but CBS officially pulled the plug in May 2025.
It's a bit of a gut punch. Honestly, for a minute there, it looked like we were getting a sixth season. There were whispers about budget cuts, shortened episode counts, and even Queen Latifah herself reportedly offering to take a pay cut just to give the fans some closure. But the math didn't math for the network.
How Many Seasons Does The Equalizer Have Across the Whole Franchise?
When people ask "how many seasons does The Equalizer have," the answer actually depends on which McCall you're talking about. The franchise is a bit of a nesting doll of reboots and spin-offs.
If you are talking about the Queen Latifah (2021-2025) era, the show finished with 5 seasons and 74 episodes. The series finale, titled "Decisions," aired on May 4, 2025. It wasn't exactly planned as a series-ender from day one, but the writers were smart enough to see the writing on the wall and gave us a finale that felt like a real goodbye.
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Then you’ve got the OG. The 1980s original starring Edward Woodward as the sophisticated but lethal Robert McCall. That one ran for 4 seasons between 1985 and 1989. It’s wild to think that the reboot actually outlasted the original by a full season.
- 2021 Reboot: 5 Seasons (Finished)
- 1985 Original: 4 Seasons (Finished)
- Denzel Washington Films: 3 Movies (with a 4th and 5th currently in development)
Why Was the Reboot Canceled After Season 5?
Television is a brutal business. You’d think a show starring an icon like Queen Latifah would be untouchable, but the 2024-2025 TV season was a "Red Wedding" for CBS procedurals. Along with The Equalizer, we saw the end of S.W.A.T. and a couple of FBI spin-offs.
Ratings were a huge factor. In its prime, the show was pulling in massive numbers, but by Season 5, the viewership had dipped about 27% compared to the previous year. It didn't help that the network kept shuffling the time slot. Moving the show from its comfy 8:00 PM spot to 10:00 PM is basically the network equivalent of moving a friend's stuff into the garage. It’s never a good sign.
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There’s also the "Universal tax." Because the show is produced by Universal Television rather than CBS’s in-house studio, the profit margins are thinner. CBS has to pay a licensing fee to air it. When the ratings started to wobble, that fee became a lot harder for the bean counters to justify.
What We Missed in the Canceled Season 6
Showrunner Joe Wilson has been pretty vocal about what could have been. If the show hadn't been axed, Season 6 was supposed to be "feature-worthy."
The biggest thing we lost? The wedding. We were finally going to see Robyn and Dante (Tory Kittles) tie the knot. After years of "will-they-won't-they" tension and high-stakes rescues, the writers wanted to explore what it looks like when "equalizing" becomes a family business. We also would have seen Delilah’s transition into her college life at Harvard and Aunt Vi’s new chapter moving in with Curtis.
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Instead of a wedding, we got a "satisfying but open" finale. It’s bittersweet.
The Future of the Franchise
Is The Equalizer dead? Not even close. While the TV show is wrapped up, the big screen version is alive and well. Denzel Washington has basically confirmed that The Equalizer 4 and The Equalizer 5 are happening.
It’s rare for a franchise to exist in two different universes at the same time, but that’s the power of this character. Whether it’s Robert or Robyn, the idea of a lone wolf helping people who have nowhere else to turn is a story that clearly never gets old.
If you’re feeling the void left by the CBS cancellation, you can still catch the full run of the Latifah series on Paramount+. The first three seasons have also been making the rounds on Netflix, which has given the show a weirdly successful second life even after it was canceled.
Next Steps for Fans:
Check out the 1980s original if you haven't seen it; the vibe is much darker and more "neon-noir" New York than the reboot. If you are strictly a fan of the modern version, keep an eye on Sony Pictures' announcements for the upcoming Denzel sequels, as they likely represent the next time we'll see a McCall in action.