The Equalizer season 6 will not be happening, as the CBS show is cancelled. It has been a time of uncertainty for the action drama, which stars the Oscar-nominated Queen Latifah as former CIA operative Robyn McCall. A planned spinoff of The Equalizer, which would have starred Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz, was ultimately scrapped after the backdoor pilot premiered. More significantly, for the past several months, it has been an open question as to whether The Equalizer season 6 will happen.

That question has now been answered, with Deadline reporting that The Equalizer has been cancelled. The season 5 finale, which will air on Sunday, May 4 at 10 PM ET on CBS, will now serve as the series finale. It is also noted that the writers crafted the episode in a way that would serve as a fitting farewell, with no plans to shop the action drama to other platforms.

Why CBS Cancelled The Equalizer After Five Seasons

Financial Considerations & A Packed Schedule Factored In

It had previously been reported that The Equalizer could potentially be renewed for a sixth and final season, with a shortened episode count. The team behind The Equalizer, including executive producer Latifah, had agreed to bring down the budget to the level that CBS was hoping for and make concessions. Ultimately, however, that wasn't enough to save the series.

Another factor to consider is that CBS has a packed schedule with returning and new shows for the 2025-2026 broadcast television season.

The action drama is a co-production between CBS Studios and Universal Television, continuing the trend of the network cancelling some series that are in partnership with other studios. These can sometimes complicate renewals despite solid ratings. FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted, also a co-production with Universal Television, were likewise cancelled. However, the network did pick up the spinoff CIA. The original FBI, already renewed, is also a Universal TV co-production.

Another factor to consider is that CBS has a packed schedule with returning and new shows for the 2025-2026 broadcast television season. In the latter category, there will be the Fire Country spinoff Sheriff Country, Boston Blue, and the FBI spinoff CIA, along with the new comedy DMV. All these shows, with the aforementioned exception of CIA, are produced by CBS Studios.

Our Take On The Equalizer's Cancellation

At Least There Will Be A Goodbye

If nothing else, the action drama has benefited from the fact that it has been on the bubble. The writers kept this in mind, reportedly writing a season finale that would fittingly double as a series finale. The specifics of the cancellation are frustrating. But, if nothing else, at least there will be a bit of closure for Robyn and the rest of The Equalizer's characters after so many seasons.

The CBS show debuted in 2021. It also stars Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira, Laya DeLeon, and Lorraine Toussaint, with Joseph C. Wilson and Adam Glass as showrunners, continued the Equalizer franchise, which stretches back to the 1980s show created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim and includes the Denzel Washington movies. It'll now have added attention on its finale.

Source: Deadline