The series is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with CBS Studios. Chris Noth, Lorraine Toussaint, Tory Kittles, Liza Lapira and Laya DeLeon Hayes also star. In “The Equalizer,” Latifah stars as an enigmatic woman with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn. “We’re extremely proud to see this outstanding broadcast drama, led by Queen Latifah, punch through the competitive landscape and return for a second season.” 7 after the Super Bowl on CBS.“’The Equalizer’ has proven more than equal to the task of engaging viewers and racking up wins on Sunday night,” said Kelly Kahl, president, CBS Entertainment. The questions are whether Hollywood has somewhat greedily issued that call once too often, and how many of those post-football viewers come back for mor When such trouble comes, you go to “The Equalizer,” naturally. (The program carries a dedication to the original show’s co-creator, Richard Lindheim, who died in January.) “Who do you go to if you can’t go to the cops?” the premiere’s damsel in distress asks, encapsulating the underlying premise in a single sentence. Dana Owens, among the executive producers), it’s an unpretentious exercise that makes the most of its New York setting, a bit like the former CBS hour “Person of Interest.” There’s even an NYPD detective (Tory Kittles) wondering who this mysterious vigilante might be. Marlowe and Terri Edda Miller (joined by Queen Latifah, a.k.a. Like the CW’s recent revival of another old CBS title, “Walker, Texas Ranger,” the show emphasizes family a life apart from crimefighting in a way the original didn’t – a more character-driven sign of the times, transparently seeking to humanize its inherently-likable star beyond just serving as a robotic dispenser of justice.ĭeveloped by former “Castle” producers Andrew W. OK, so it’s not quite grandma’s “The Equalizer,” although the first show was probably most memorable for its synthesized theme. They include Bishop (Chris Noth), now running a private-security firm, and a husband-and-wife team that consists of a sharpshooter (Liza Lapira) and hacker (Adam Goldberg), both inordinately handy skills in a pinch. Robert McCall has become Latifah’s Robyn McCall, a former CIA agent quietly raising her teenage daughter (Laya DeLeon Hayes) with help from her live-in aunt (Lorraine Toussaint).Ĭonveniently stumbling on a young woman in jeopardy – she witnessed a murder by some very bad people – McCall quickly demonstrates her special skills, before calling on some old friends and colleagues for assistance. If they’re in the market for another procedural with a likable lead and an inordinately good cast for this sort of by-the-numbers endeavor, they just might. The premiere does a nice job of laying out all the ingredients, hoping at least some of that audience will come back for seconds. But the character isn’t all that’s changed, as the show adopts more of a team concept than the original’s loner, even if the basic template – a pretty fun one – still involves a shadowy savior of those in need.ĬBS was happy enough with the concept, ordered as a series without the usual pilot process, to give it a coveted introduction after the Super Bowl, which should ensure a fair amount of sampling. “The Equalizer’s” evolution continues, from that stately old British gent in the 1980s to a couple of Denzel Washington movies to Queen Latifah in a new CBS series.
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