After only four episodes on air, “The Equalizer” — starring Queen Latifah — has been renewed for a second season.
On Tuesday, the network announced that the new action series will get to kick some more ass next year.
“‘The Equalizer’ has proven more than equal to the task of engaging viewers and racking up wins on Sunday night,” CBS Entertainment chief Kelly Kahl said. “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.”
The Debra Martin Chase-produced drama is television’s No. 1 scripted series in the key demos, averaging 14.6 million viewers, CBS said.
Its Super Bowl Sunday premiere was the most-watched debut of the 2020-2021 season, delivering 23.8 million viewers. The prime placement marked only the third time a scripted series landed in the post-game berth for CBS. The other two were “Elementary” in 2012 and “Criminal Minds” in 2006.
The premiere episode also scored the best viewer and demo numbers for any entertainment program since the 2020 Academy Awards.
“The Equalizer,” which was filmed in parts of Jersey City this fall, follows an ex-CIA agent and single mother Robyn McCall — portrayed by the hip hop and Hollywood trailblazer born Dana Elaine Owens — who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn.
It’s been described as “new take” on the character first played by Edward Woodard in the late 1980s CBS TV series, and most recently portrayed by two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington in two Antoine Fuqua-directed blockbuster films in 2014 and 2018..
Chris Noth (of “Sex and the City”) plays McCall’s former CIA boss and “Orange is the New Black” scene-stealer Lorraine Toussaint plays her aunt.
Although currently on a brief hiatus until March 28, new episodes of “The Equalizer” air Sunday nights.
