Draft:The Equalizer (2021 TV series) season 1
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| The Equalizer | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
| Starring |
|
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | February 7 – May 23, 2021 |
| Season chronology | |
The first season of The Equalizer an American crime drama television series premiered on February 7, 2021 on CBS and concluded on May 23, 2021. The season consisted of 10 episodes and marks the beginning of the second reboot in the franchise, following the 2014 film and its 2018 sequel, which was a reboot of the 1980s series with the same name.
The season sees the introduction of stars Queen Latifah, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint and Chris Noth who all appear in starring roles.
Cast and characters[edit]
Main[edit]
- Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall
- Tory Kittles as Marcus Dante
- Adam Goldberg as Harry Keshegian
- Liza Lapira as Melody Bayani
- Laya DeLeon Hayes as Delilah McCall
- Lorraine Toussaint as Viola Marsette
- Chris Noth as William Bishop
Recurring[edit]
- Erica Camarano as Detective Paley
- Jennifer Ferrin as Avery Grafton
- Frank Pando as Captain Torres
Episodes[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Equalizer" | Liz Friedlander | Terri Edda Miller & Andrew W. Marlowe | February 7, 2021 | 20.40[1] | |
|
Robyn McCall is a former operative of "the Company", an organization that conducts illegal operations for the U.S. government. Having grown disenchanted with her work, Robyn leaves the Company to raise her teenage daughter Delilah. One night, she follows a young teenage girl and saves her from being raped. The girl, Jewel Machado, is a suspect in the shooting of a lawyer, Chance Kovak. With no one else to turn to, Robyn contacts her old colleagues, Melody and Harry, and has them hide Jewel while she investigates the murder. Through careful undercover work, and with the assistance of her former superior William Bishop, Robyn captures two mercenaries employed by a tech mogul, who had Chance murdered to cover up his discovery of a fatal flaw in the software for his latest product, a self-driving car. The mogul is arrested by Marcus Dante, an NYPD detective who Robyn met earlier while posing as Jewel's lawyer. Jewel is released and Robyn decides to send an anonymous online message offering to help anyone who has "the odds against them". Note: This episode was dedicated to co-creator/executive producer Richard Lindheim, who died from heart failure while the series was in production. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Glory" | Liz Friedlander | Terri Edda Miller & Andrew W. Marlowe | February 14, 2021 | 8.21[2] | |
|
Robyn answers the request of a woman whose son, Jackson, was kidnapped to force her to break into the safe of her employer, an FBI agent. She discovers that the kidnapping is connected to a sex trafficking ring run by a prominent club owner, who is trying to find an informant working with the agent. Robyn takes down the ring's stash house, and the deadline for Jackson's return is moved up. Robyn arranges for the owner's right-hand man to be framed as the informant, allowing her to rescue Jackson, deliver the real informant to the FBI, and get both the owner and his FBI mole arrested. In between, Robyn tries to figure out a secret Delilah is keeping from her. When it's discovered that she is performing with a choir in Times Square, Delilah is upset that her mother won't make it in time to see her perform, but after handling the aforementioned events, Robyn does show up for the event. Robyn gets Bishop to cut a deal with the Company: she will perform freelance work for them in exchange for a blind eye being turned to her vigilantism. | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Judgment Day" | Solvan "Slick" Naim | Erica Shelton Kodish | February 21, 2021 | 8.13[3] | |
|
An innocent man, Dale, escapes from prison looking to find the man who framed him for murder, only to be framed again when his old cellmate ends up dead. His former lawyer asks Robyn to find Dale, who is reluctant to put his life in someone else's hands and refuses to accept Robyn's help. Robyn strikes a deal with Dante to obtain evidence that Dale was set up. When Dale gets arrested after his angry son betrays him and alerts the police, the defense requests that the judge recuse herself; an ADA recruited by Dante then arrives with evidence that the judge, who prosecuted Dale's case ten years ago, not only covered up witness statements that would have helped him but also arranged for the cellmate's murder to protect herself. The judge is taken into custody while Dante arrests the real murderer and sets Dale free. Afterwards, Dante and Robyn come face to face; Dante doesn't approve of Robyn's methods and vows to go after her. Robyn knows Dante will need her in the future and reminds him that her quest for justice isn't over. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "It Takes a Village" | Randy Zisk | Joseph C. Wilson | February 28, 2021 | 7.78[4] | |
|
Robyn takes the case of a community activist murdered by gang members; however, the case is soon complicated when the murder is linked to a wealthy real estate developer who also happens to be a CIA asset involved with the financing of foreign terrorists. As Dante is unable to get the killer to flip on his boss, Robyn recruits Bishop to help her infiltrate the developer's office, having already groomed his idealistic, neglected son as her inside man. Delilah, with her mother's encouragement, meets with a government official to discuss filling in a pothole; unfortunately, the official turns her down. Delilah is bitter, believing that nothing will change. Robyn and Bishop are caught trying to hack the developer's private server, leaving the son to confront his father. As it turns out, a camera planted by Robyn broadcasts the whole thing (including the developer's confession) publicly while Harry delivers the necessary evidence to Dante for an arrest. With the son now committed to fixing his father's wrongs, Aunt Vi and Robyn take Delilah to fill in the pothole themselves. | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Milk Run" | Peter Leto | Keith Eisner | March 28, 2021 | 7.40[5] | |
|
The Company assigns Robyn a mission: retrieve Dorian Endicott, a British programmer and mathematician who has gone off the grid. Robyn accepts the mission only when Bishop promises that all her debts will be canceled in return. As it turns out, Endicott is trying to sell a valuable piece of software to Russian intelligence; the deal, however, is a set-up, as Endicott reveals the software is fake and he needs the money to get his wife and son into hiding. Robyn takes him into custody, and after a run-in with Delilah (who mistakenly assumes her mother is on a date), Endicott explains that he has devised a program that can hack any digital system on Earth, which he destroyed upon realizing how dangerous it could be if used. Recognizing that she can't turn him in, Robyn calls Bishop for help. Bishop then informs the CIA, who apprehend Endicott and appear to assassinate him when Russian agents (who are actually Robyn's associates in disguise) intercept their convoy. Robyn collects the "dead" Endicott and sends him to Canada with his family. At home, Delilah questions what else her mother could be lying to her about. | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Room Where It Happens" | Stephanie Marquardt | Zoe Robyn | April 4, 2021 | 6.99[6] | |
|
Robyn is hired when Maya Ruiz, a volunteer for a popular female mayoral candidate, tries to kill herself; she claims that Elijah Reade, a top campaign official, raped her. The team quickly deduces that Reade didn't just rape Maya, but possibly dozens of other women as well during his two decade-long career. Robyn gets Dante to help her investigate Maya's case by promising to help him take down a dirty ex-cop who helped cover up Reade's crimes. Delilah disobeys her mother when she helps her friend Nicki commit a robbery to steal back a necklace. Delilah escapes, but Nicki gets arrested and Robyn angrily yells at Aunt Vi in frustration. Maya agrees to sign a settlement and NDA with Reade's lawyers, but secretly helps Mel steal copies of similar documents signed by all of his victims. These are given to the mayoral candidate (revealed to a victim of Reade), who exposes Reade in a public interview, leading to his downfall and arrest. Dante also nabs Reade's fixer, and manages to get Nicki released from custody after being prompted to do so by Robyn. She and Delilah reconcile and Robyn agrees to invite Nicki over for dinner. | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Hunting Grounds" | Christine Moore | Joe Gazzam | May 2, 2021 | 7.22[7] | |
|
Robyn is asked by a young black woman to find her roommate Nia, who was abducted days earlier. Harry reveals that the abduction fits the pattern of a string of abductions/killings of ten other black women, including one that resulted in an innocent man going to prison. Robyn decides to bring Dante in to help as she only has 48 hours to find Nia. When its discovered that the murders are linked to a loan-lending company and that the killer has been surveilling the women from vacant apartments nearby, both Robyn and Dante suspect that a company employee is responsible. Dante helps Robyn find Nia, but becomes increasingly disturbed by her violent methods. The killer snaps after losing Nia and goes to Dante's house, using him as bait to lure in Robyn. When he refuses to give in to Robyn's demands not to kill Dante, Mel is forced to shoot him dead from afar. Dante, enraged that Robyn murdered a suspect right in front of him, goes to see DA Avery Grafton, who is eager to put an end to Robyn's vigilantism, and offers to use his knowledge of Robyn to assist Grafton in her efforts. | |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Lifeline" | Randy Zisk | Joseph C. Wilson | May 9, 2021 | 7.22[8] | |
|
The team receives a call from a girl named Carla in southern France; Robyn recognizes her as the daughter of her deceased mentor, David Henson. With armed pursuers on her trail, Robyn and Harry guide Carla to a nearby factory to hide. They also have her take a picture that allows Harry to identify the lead pursuer as a ex-Mossad operative. Robyn contacts a retired British spy who owes her to rescue Carla and take her to safety. Unfortunately, the spy turns out to be in the pay of the man who wants Carla, and soon enough, Robyn is forced to fly to France to save her. She learns that David is still alive and being tortured for information; he winds up sacrificing himself to save Carla's life. A voice then contacts Robyn: Mason Quinn, a terrorist and strategic genius whom Robyn apprehended during her CIA days, only for the agency to then exchange Quinn in a prisoner swap. When Robyn discovers that Bishop knew about this, she lashes out at him for lying to her. At home, Robyn is confronted by Aunt Viv about the true nature of her work. Robyn confesses the truth, and Viv warns her that one day, she'll have to do the same with Delilah. | |||||||
| 9 | 9 | "True Believer" | Laura Belsey | Keith Eisner | May 16, 2021 | 7.39[9] | |
|
Robyn answers the call of a concerned housewife, Amanda Wilson, who's suspicious of her husband Elias' strange activities. Harry and Mel discover that he has joined an alt-right terrorist group called the TruthTrappers. The group plans to blow up a key location involving a NYPD officer, prompting Robyn to get Dante involved, while Mel investigates the CEO of a website hosting the servers tied to the group. Dante tracks fellow NYPD officer Murtaugh to a motel where he's meeting Elias, as is Robyn after she tracked him; Dante arrests Murtaugh but Robyn and Elias escape separately. Robyn later finds and captures Elias, and discovers that there is more than one bomb, with the real target being a multicultural and multinational university. Robyn uses interrogation psychology to make Elias realize the error of his ways, causing him to tell her the exact location. The bomb is defused but Dante then tries to arrest Robyn again. She takes the police down, upset with Dante's double crossing. Dante gets the evidence to charge Murtaugh and later tells Grafton that he cannot arrest Robyn for now. Robyn convinces Elias to turn himself in while Mel helps expose the CEO, getting his website shut down. Delilah wants Robyn and Vi to participate in a TikTok video, which has Robyn worried because of her and her family being exposed, but decides to join in, albeit with their faces blocked while going viral. | |||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Reckoning" | Benny Boom | Joseph C. Wilson | May 23, 2021 | 7.13[10] | |
|
While skipping school with her friends, Delilah is witness to her friend Jason being shot in a drive-by shooting. He is left in a critical condition, but later dies of his injuries. A second victim, Alejandro Molina from the Molina cartel, is determined to be the real target. With the case hitting close to home, McCall learns from the cartel that Brigada 7 has recently landed in New York and were rejected by them with an offer. She confronts the Brigada’s New York leader Victor Shishani and warns of serious repercussions. Dante gives her a Brigada informant, Roddy Thompson, who reveals that they have a ship loaded of cocaine due to arrive. After her daughter and her friends are threatened into silence about their witness statements, McCall enlists the Molina cartel, Harry and Melody to take down the Brigada at the docks themselves. Dante has second thoughts about their partnership. Delilah sneaks out and discovers her mother’s hidden garage and a picture at Dante’s desk; and confronts her with it, asking who she really is. | |||||||
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In November 2019 it was announced that a reboot of The Equalizer was in the works at CBS starring Queen Latifah with Andrew Marlowe and Terri Miller as showrunners with Latifah serving as an executive producer.[11] On January 27, 2020, CBS issued a pilot order for the new version.[12] Latifah was announced as the lead star when the show first began development, Liza Lapira and Lorraine Toussaint were cast in regular roles as Melody Bayani and Viola Marsette, respectively.[13][14] In March 2020, Tory Kittles also joined the main cast.[15] On May 8, 2020, Chris Noth was cast as William Bishop in a starring capacity.[16]
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Equalizer" | February 7, 2021 | 5.1 | 20.40[1] | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | "Glory" | February 14, 2021 | 0.9 | 8.21[2] | 0.6 | 3.64 | 1.6 | 11.86[17] |
| 3 | "Judgment Day" | February 21, 2021 | 0.8 | 8.13[3] | 0.5 | 3.39 | 1.3 | 11.52[18] |
| 4 | "It Takes a Village" | February 28, 2021 | 0.8 | 7.78[4] | 0.5 | 3.41 | 1.3 | 11.19[19] |
| 5 | "The Milk Run" | March 28, 2021 | 0.8 | 7.40[5] | 0.5 | 3.05 | 1.3 | 10.46[20] |
| 6 | "The Room Where It Happens" | April 4, 2021 | 0.7 | 6.99[6] | 0.5 | 3.13 | 1.2 | 10.12[21] |
| 7 | "Hunting Grounds" | May 2, 2021 | 0.7 | 7.22[7] | 0.4 | 2.82 | 1.1 | 10.04[22] |
| 8 | "Lifeline" | May 9, 2021 | 0.7 | 7.22[8] | 0.4 | 2.74 | 1.1 | 9.97[23] |
| 9 | "True Believer" | May 16, 2021 | 0.7 | 7.39[9] | 0.4 | 2.67 | 1.1 | 10.05[24] |
| 10 | "Reckoning" | May 23, 2021 | 0.7 | 7.13[10] | 0.4 | 2.63 | 1.1 | 9.75[25] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 9, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.7.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 17, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.14.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 23, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.21.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 2, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.28.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 30, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.28.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 6, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.4.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 4, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.2.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 11, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.9.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Bauder, David (May 18, 2021). "CBS' 'Mom' Exits After 8 Seasons With Season Ratings High". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ a b Bauder, David (May 25, 2021). "Triumph of the unhip: 'NCIS' tops TV, streaming rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (November 4, 2019). "'The Equalizer' TV Series Starring Queen Latifah in the Works at CBS". Collider.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 27, 2020). "'The Equalizer Reboot Starring Queen Latifah Gets CBS Pilot Order". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (February 25, 2020). "Liza Lapira Joins Queen Latifah In 'The Equalizer' Reboot Pilot On CBS". Deadline. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 28, 2020). "Lorraine Toussaint Joins Queen Latifah In 'The Equalizer' Reboot Pilot On CBS". Deadline. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 3, 2020). "Tory Kittles Joins Queen Latifah In 'The Equalizer' Reboot Pilot On CBS". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 8, 2020). "Chris Noth Joins Queen Latifah In 'The Equalizer' CBS Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 1, 2021). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'Clarice' Series Premiere More Than Doubles its Same-Day Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 8, 2021). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'Big Sky' the Top Total Viewer Gainer in Each Week of its Winter Run". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 18, 2021). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'The Conners' and 'Young Sheldon' Lead Comedies in Gains". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ Berman, Marc (March 29, 2021). "Sunday Ratings: CBS Leads; NBC Falters; 'American Idol' Judges Unnecessarily Cut Worthy Murphy". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Berman, Marc (April 5, 2021). "Sunday Ratings: CBS and ABC Share Modest Dominance". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Berman, Marc (May 3, 2021). "Sunday Ratings: ABC and CBS Split Dominance; Return of 'D.C.'s Legends of Tomorrow' Left at The CW Starting Gate". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ Berman, Marc (May 8, 2021). "Friday Ratings: CBS and Fox Share Diluted Leadership". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ Berman, Marc (May 17, 2021). "Sunday Ratings: ABC and CBS Share Dominance". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Berman, Marc (May 24, 2021). "Sunday Ratings: 'American Idol' Concludes Season on a Modest Note on ABC". Programming Insider. Retrieved June 5, 2021.