Sad sign of the times: “Equalizer” cancelled

The too-short lifespan of “The Equalizer” (shown here) says a lot about current TV.
Here was one of the heroes of the pandemic. When TV was at its low point, it leaped to No. 2 in the ratings.
Now, after a modest five seasons, it’s been canceled. The season-finale (10 p.m. Sunday, May 4, on CBS) has also become the series-finale.
“Equalizer” had exactly two flaws: It’s expensive and it’s from the wrong company. TV is like that these days.
As the pandemic took hold, much of TV was wobbling. But CBS was already developing this reboot of an Edward Woodward series (1985-89) and three Denzel Washington movies (2014, ’18, ’23).
The show has all the right elements: There’s a strong star (Queen Latifah), lots of action, more idealism and — a CBS specialty — stories that wrap up with each hour.
It opened after the Super Bowl and soared. For the 2020-21 season (football excluded), “Equalizer” was No. 2 in the ratings, trailing only “NCIS.”
In subsequent years, it slipped slightly (as shows seem to do). It was No. 5 in 2021-22 (with viewership dropping 22 percent), No. 9 in 2022-23 (down 11 percent) and No. 10 last year (down 5.8 percent).
This season, it plunged 31.8 percent. In its defense, the season was broken up by lots of Sunday specials. And in mid-season, “Watson” arrived to take the 9 p.m. slot, pushing “Equalizer” to 10.
By one logical view (mine), “Watson” is a rather awful show. Having it as a lead-in doomed “Equalizer.”
But “Watson” has CBS as its primary producer and streams on CBS’ sister channel, Paramount+. “Equalizer” fits neither of those.
Shows tend to creep up in the budget each year. And shows like “Equalizer” — lots of sets and outdoor action, filmed in New Jersey — tend to be more expensive in the beginning.
We’ll hear a lot of that in the future, as profits fade. Networks will lean to shows that cost less and ones they own a substantial piece of.
That was especially obvious this year: Two top-20 shows — “FBI: International” and “FBI: Most Wanted” — were canceled by CBS.
They finished No. 16 and 17, but CBS isn’t the primary owner. On May 20, they’ll have their final episodes. It’s a different sort of TV world.