Fans of The Equalizer are already eagerly awaiting this Sunday’s Season 5 finale. Unfortunately, the episode will come with some added gravity, as CBS announced that the procedural starring Queen Latifah would be coming to an end.
The Equalizer was the final scripted show or pilot waiting for an announcement of renewal or cancellation from the network. Over the past month, CBS rolled out a variety of series that would be returning for the 2025-2026 TV season, and which would be left hanging. The Equalizer joins previously canceled FBI spinoffs FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted, freshman sitcom Poppa’s House, new reality show The Summit, and, for the second time, S.W.A.T.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
As Deadlinereports, even before the barrage of renewals and cancellations, the future for The Equalizer looked murky at best. The series was in talks to be renewed for a shortened sixth and final 13–episode season. Allegedly, the producers of the show has looked to negotiate for a reduced budget to allow the season to happen, with even Latifah herself taking a cut. But even those concessions left the show up in the air at best.
In retrospect, the warning signs for The Equalizer‘s longevity were there with the plight of its spinoff series. A show was in the works starring Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz as a father-daughter duo with history in the CIA. The two introduced their characters to the universe in a guest appearance on the Apr. 20 episode of The Equalizer. But only a handful of days following that episode, it was reported that CBS would no longer be moving forward with the spinoff. Evidently, that seemed to mark the beginning of the end for The Equalizer franchise as a whole.
Related: Find Out If Your Favorite Show Is Coming Back or Canceled with Our Fall TV 2025-2026 Guide!
That said, while the fate of The Equalizer is unknown following its cancellation, fans will still get to enjoy one more episode this Sunday night. “Decisions” will have protagonist Robyn McCall (Latifah) and Dante (Tory Kittles) finally hit the road for a romantic getaway, only to have the party crashed by Salazar (Juan Javier Cardenas) and his army. Sounds like an epic way for Robyn and the gang to go out on top.
Related: Get an Exclusive Sneak Peek at the Series Finale of ‘The Equalizer’
