Summary

• The Equalizer franchise continues to thrive with the 2021 reboot being renewed for a fifth season, surpassing the original series' season count.
• The reboot probably won't reach the same episode count as the Edward Woodward Equalizer, due to shorter seasons.
• While a Denzel Washington crossover is unlikely, viewers of The Equalizer can expect McCall's journey to continue in season 5 on CBS.

The Equalizer will return for season 5, but while this automatically breaks a record from the original series, there's another its way from reaching. For a property that once sat dormant for over 30 years, The Equalizer franchise feels busier than ever. Edward Woodward (The Wicker Man) led the first iteration, playing a retired agent of a mysterious organization who helps "equalize" the odds for those in need. The series ran between 1985 and 1989, and after years of development hell, the first The Equalizer movie starring Denzel Washington arrived in 2014.

The franchise appears to have ended on the big screen for now, with The Equalizer 3's ending suggesting McCall has retired from his equalizing ways. Denzel may have called it a day, but Queen Latifah's Robyn McCall will return for season 5 of CBS' The Equalizer TV show. This reboot is unrelated to the previous iterations, though it once again involves a retired intelligence agent named McCall who rights wrongs for those who need help.

The Equalizer Season 5 Gives It More Seasons Than The Original (But With Fewer Episodes)

Edward Woodward's The Equalizer came close to season 5 before being canceled

For whatever reason, CBS held off confirming the upcoming Equalizer season 5, despite the series being a consistent hit. Devotees of the reboot may have started to sweat a little, with the network canning other series like CSI: Vegas. Regardless, CBS giving the show a fifth season means it officially surpasses the original Equalizer when it comes to season count. The Edward Woodward series actually was renewed for a fifth season, before later being scrapped due to a dispute between CBS and Universal over Murder, She Wrote.

The Edward Woodward show ran for 22 episodes every season, bringing its episode count to 88. However, Queen Latifah's Equalizer has a shorter episode count per season, maxing out at 18.

The cast and crew of the new version have good reason to pop the champagne cock over their renewal news, but there is still a record from the original Equalizer they have yet to beat. The Woodward show ran for 22 episodes every season, bringing its episode count to 88. However, Queen Latifah's Equalizer has a shorter episode count per season, maxing out at 18. The first series ran for 10 episodes total, with seasons 2 and 3 both having 18, while series 4 will have another 10.

That brings the reboot's episode number up to 52. The Equalizer season 5 was renewed for 18 episodes, so by the time it wraps up, the show will have aired 70 episodes in total. That's a nice milestone for any show to reach, but it will still fall 18 episodes short of the Woodward series.

Why The Equalizer Reboot May Not Beat The Original Show's Episode Count

The Equalizer season 6 would only equalize those numbers

The showrunners are likely more concerned with breaking the story for season 5 than if they will beat the episode count of their parent series. This might be a record they won't be able to beat, because even assuming a best-case scenario where The Equalizer season 6 is greenlit and is renewed for 18 episodes, the reboot would still only match the episode count of the original instead of surpassing it.

There is always the chance season 6 is both greenlit and given a higher episode order, while The Equalizer season 7 isn't out of the question either. It appears the reboot was on the bubble for its fifth season renewal, so there is no guarantee a sixth series will go ahead, let alone beyond it. This could work out in the show's favor because if there is an awareness that year five will be the last one, The Equalizer's creators can at least craft a proper finale, which is something the 1980s version never got.

What To Expect From The Equalizer Season 5

A guest appearance from Denzel Washington's McCall is unlikely

Considering The Equalizer season 4 is currently airing, it's tricky to say what will happen in series 5 with any degree of certainty. Just as the season 3 finale "Eye for an Eye" ended with a major cliffhanger that left key players trapped inside a burning room, the season 4 premiere quickly revealed everybody was fine. Given the procedural nature of The Equalizer fans should expect what the series has always delivered, with McCall righting injustices while reckoning with her own past.

The original Equalizer almost crossed over with Magnum, P.I., but despite a script being written, this concept was dropped as it was felt the shows were too dissimilar tonally.

Time will tell if the Denzel movies are truly finished, considering the trilogy capper left Washington's McCall alive and well. The Equalizer viewers probably shouldn't expect a crossover featuring Denzel either, because while series creator Andrew W. Marlowe told Decider in 2021 that such a crossover hadn't been ruled out, they were focused on creating their "own universe" rather than tying into the film series. Nice as it might be, it is hard to imagine Washington being convinced to make a guest appearance on a CBS procedural too.

The Equalizer season 4 currently airs Sundays at 8 pm ET on CBS.

Source: Deadline, Decider