The Equalizer

This article is about the original 1985 series. For the 2014 American film adaptation based on the series, see The Equalizer (film). For its sequel, see The Equalizer 2. For the reboot of the series, see The Equalizer (2021 TV series). For other uses, see Equalizer (disambiguation).

The Equalizer
File:The Equalizer.jpg
Genre	Action Crime Drama Spy fiction Mystery Thriller
Created by	Michael Sloan Richard Lindheim
Starring	Edward Woodward Keith Szarabajka
Opening theme	Stewart Copeland
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	James Duff McAdams Michael Sloan
Producer(s)	Dan Lieberstein Marc Laub Stuart Cohen Alan Barnette Mark Sobel Edward Adler Alan Metzger Joe Boston
Running time	48 minutes
Production company(s)	Universal Television
Distributor	NBCUniversal Television Distribution (2004–2011)
Release
Original network	CBS
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	September 18, 1985 (1985-09-18) – August 24, 1989 (1989-08-24)
Chronology
Followed by	The Equalizer (2014)
Related shows	The Equalizer (2021)

The Equalizer is an American spy thriller television series, originally airing on CBS from September 18, 1985, to August 24, 1989, and co-created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. It starred Edward Woodward as a retired intelligence agent with a mysterious past, who uses the skills from his former career to exact justice on behalf of innocent people who find themselves in dangerous circumstances, while sometimes also dealing with people from his past in covert operations who want to pull him back in or settle old scores.

The concept has been rebooted twice, with a pair of movies (in 2014 and 2018) starring Denzel Washington and a reimagined 2021 TV series starring Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall.

Series plot elements

The series stars British actor Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former covert operations officer of an unnamed US government intelligence organization, which was often referred to simply as "the Agency" or "the Company", who tried to atone for his past by offering, usually free of charge, his services as a troubleshooter, a protector, and an investigator.

People in need found him through a newspaper classified ad: "Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer: 212 555 4200." When he began the business in the pilot episode, the nickname "Equalizer" was revealed as bestowed on him by an operative named "Brahms", played by Jerry Stiller.

Aided by a group of sometimes-mysterious contacts, some of whom date back to his spying days, McCall traverses the streets of New York City, delivering justice upon bullies, corrupt police and politicians, hoodlums, mobsters, rapists, racists, murderers, kidnappers, drug dealers, and other "truly deserving" people. "Please do not do anything you will never live to regret," he tells one villain.

His contacts were also prone to human foibles, that ranged from egoism to domestic problems.

Many episodes focused on McCall interacting with "Control" (played by Robert Lansing), the unnamed head of the Manhattan office of the secret organization for which McCall used to work. As a general rule, however, the people answering the newspaper ad were unremarkable, average, and unknown.

McCall's Jaguar XJ saloon car, weapons, and other gadgetry at times featured significantly as elements in the plot.

Cast and characters

Main

• Edward Woodward as Robert McCall: A veteran operative of The Company who becomes disillusioned with sacrificing ordinary people for the perceived greater good. He quits and takes out a newspaper advert offering his services to those who need it as The Equalizer. McCall himself is divorced, a "lost dad" long estranged from his son, Scott (William Zabka). Scott comes back into his life as a young adult who is at first bitterly critical of his father's world, but then becomes drawn into that world to the dismay of both of his parents. McCall also lost a woman he was in love with, a fellow operative named Manon Brevard, and discovers that she had secretly given birth to his daughter Yvette. McCall appears to be independently wealthy, as although he almost never takes payment for his work, he owns a high-end apartment, is always well dressed and drives a Jaguar XJ6 car (registered 5809-AUG). He enjoys classical music (playing the piano himself), fine wine and dining and is occasionally seen dating and trying to live a "normal" life, only for work or his past to get in the way. His father, William, was a British Army officer; he was killed in Egypt in 1952 when McCall was 19 and also an army officer. His mother was American, a working class entertainer and his father was disinherited by his family and shunned by his regiment for seen to be marrying beneath himself. McCall had a strained relationship with his father whom he blamed for remaining overseas and leaving him at boarding school while his mother was dying. He was also guilt-ridden at his various actions during the Cold War, notably helping to establish the dictatorship in Chile and working with South Africa's apartheid regime in Angola. Woodward was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama series four years in a row for his performance, but never won, and was also nominated in 1986 and 1987 for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, winning in 1986.
• Keith Szarabajka as Mickey Kostmayer (Also starring, 56 episodes): A former Navy SEAL, who was in the brig for a crime he did not commit until McCall cleared him and recommended he join The Company. Often seen surveilling suspects or protecting witnesses. Always laconic, he is from Houston, Texas, of Polish/American origin and served in Cambodia during the Vietnam War, claiming to have stayed awake during one mission for 96 hours straight. He is seen to enjoy fishing in his free time, is a fan of the Knicks basketball team and bubble-gum and builds models out of matchsticks. His brother is a priest, also in the city, and needs the help of McCall and Mickey in one episode. While McCall is almost always dressed in a suit, Mickey is usually seen in jeans and wearing a watch cap and army overcoat. A black Dodge van is his usual mode of transport.

Recurring

• Robert Lansing as Control (29 episodes). A contemporary of McCall's in The Company who has risen to a senior rank; he and McCall are usually friendly, although at times Control's focus on the mission causes friction with McCall's desire to avoid collateral damage. Although McCall does not always agree with Control's methods, he usually helps his old friend when younger and even more ruthless agents try to force him out. For his part Control allows McCall to utilize Company men like Mickey, Jimmy and Sterno provided they are not on assignment. Known for his trademark bowties.
• Mark Margolis as Jimmy (16 episodes). Another company veteran and an expert in surveillance. Usually brought in by McCall when high tech bugs or wiretaps are required. He is divorced and almost always has a story about his ex-wife to tell McCall. Abandoned by his father at age 6, Jimmy is part of the Big Brother project, mentoring troubled kids.
• William Zabka as Scott McCall (12 episodes). McCall's estranged son when the series begins, their growing relationship is one of the recurring themes throughout the series. Scott is an accomplished musician but is drawn more and more deeply in to his father's world as the series progresses. Scott also knows of the kinship between himself, Yvette, and their father...although McCall has sworn him to secrecy.
• Chad Redding as Sgt. Alice Shepard (11 episodes). An NYPD detective who often assists McCall, recognizing that he can take action where she cannot.
• Richard Jordan as Harley Gage (10 episodes). Another disillusioned Company veteran, Gage was brought in by Richard Dyson (played by Robert Mitchum) to track down McCall when he goes missing in "Mission McCall", and ends up staying on and helping people with McCall. This was done to lighten the load on Woodward after he suffered a heart attack, although Keith Szarabajka was featured in only 5 of the episodes with Jordan.
• Maureen Anderman as Pete O'Phelan (9 episodes). The widow of a former colleague of McCall's, and a former operative herself. She owns a bar that McCall and Mickey frequent, and also helps out with their missions from time to time.
• Ron O'Neal as Lt. Isadore Smalls (7 episodes). An NYPD Detective who assists McCall.
• Irving Metzman as Sterno (6 episodes). Another Company man, specializing in computers and finance. He is often seen eating, particularly fast food, which generally annoys McCall's more refined tastes.
• Steven Williams as Lt. Jefferson Burnett (5 episodes). An NYPD detective in the first season, who is aware of McCall's past and is initially distrustful of him.
• Melissa Sue Anderson as Yvette Marcel (4 episodes). The daughter of McCall's former love Manon, she believes that Phillip Marcel (played by Anthony Zerbe) is her father but he later reveals to McCall that she is his daughter, a fact McCall keeps to himself and tells Marcel that he must be the one to tell her (which he finally does after being fatally wounded by an old enemy). Anderson is the real-life wife of series co-creator Michael Sloan.
• Ray Baker as Dana (3 episodes). An agent of The Company who occasionally aids McCall in his investigations. Jovial, generous and good-hearted, he is nonetheless an expert in the seedier side of New York life with a comprehensive knowledge of the city's sex industry.

Notable guest stars

The show had quite a number of notable guest stars, many of whom became major stars within a few years of their appearances. Eight-year-old Macaulay Culkin appeared in one episode as a kidnap victim. Nine-year-old Melissa Joan Hart appeared as a young girl whom McCall protected from her ex-con father. Christian Slater appeared as a high-school student in the episode "Joyride". Kevin Spacey played a corrupt police officer. Ed O'Neill played a doctor in the first-season episode "The Children's Song". John Goodman played a single father who was tricked by co-worker Joe Morton into taking part in a robbery. Goodman's frequent co-star Steve Buscemi appeared in the same episode, which marks the first time the two were on screen together.

Stewart Copeland, who composed the show's theme song and much of its music, made a cameo as a pickpocket. Vincent D'Onofrio appeared twice in the series, playing the arsonist son of a mobster in his first appearance, and a mentally-challenged man falsely accused of murder in his second. Adam Ant played a villain in an episode that also featured J.T. Walsh, David Alan Grier, Lori Petty and Luis Guzman. Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys made a rare acting appearance in an episode alongside Alex Winter. Bradley Whitford appeared as a brutal young thug whose terrorizing of a hitch-hiking young couple leads to a siege of the weaponless McCall and his son who are away on a father-son weekend. Melissa Sue Anderson played McCall's daughter (unbeknownst to herself) by an old girlfriend; in real life, Anderson was, and is the wife of series co-creator Michael Sloan. Frank Whaley, Sam Rockwell, and Jerry O'Connell appeared in the same episode as members of a teen robbery gang. Shelby Anderson lent her singing ability as a lounge singer in an episode that also involved her giant panda, ZhenZhen. Singer Vitamin C appeared in two episodes under her real name, Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick.

Other well-known stars at the time, as well as future stars, who appeared on the show included Robert Mitchum, Telly Savalas, Maureen Stapleton, E. G. Marshall, Laurence Fishburne, Jane Kaczmarek, Lauren Tom, Patricia Clarkson, Jennifer Grey, Reginald VelJohnson, Quentin Crisp, Laurie Metcalf, Frances Fisher, Oliver Platt, Patricia Richardson, William H. Macy, Robin Curtis, Stanley Tucci, Roma Maffia, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Moriarty, Chris Cooper, Michael Rooker, David Strathairn, Charles S. Dutton, Cynthia Nixon, Bruce Payne, Laura San Giacomo, Kasi Lemmons, Al Leong, Ving Rhames, Amanda Plummer, Daniel Davis, Jon Polito, Jasmine Guy, Mark Linn-Baker, Meat Loaf, Lori Loughlin, Michael Wincott, Tony Shalhoub, Anthony Zerbe, Michael Cerveris, Giancarlo Esposito and the singing duo of Ashford and Simpson.

The series also made good use of its New York City filming location/setting by employing actors who were appearing on Broadway in the late 1980s as guest stars. These included Terrence Mann, Frances Ruffelle, Kevin Conway, J. Smith-Cameron, Philip Bosco, Caitlin Clarke, Josef Sommer, Jim Dale, Christine Baranski, and Anne Twomey.

Additionally, several former stage, and screen co-stars of Edward Woodward appeared on the show. These included Brian Bedford, Tammy Grimes (real-life mother of the aforementioned Ms. Plummer), Gwen Verdon, Sandy Dennis, Jenny Agutter, Shirley Knight, and Sylvia Sidney. Harvard-educated Shakespearean theatre, Broadway stage, screen and film actor Richard Jordan appeared as the character Harley Gage in 10 episodes.

Woodward's second wife, Michele Dotrice, appeared as the central character in the season 2 episode, "Heartstrings". Her father, Roy Dotrice, also guest-starred on the show in season 4's "Trial By Ordeal". Edward Woodward's son, actor Tim Woodward, appeared as McCall's father in a flashback scene in the episode "Prisoners of Conscience", also in season 4.

Music

The show's theme music was created by composer/performer Stewart Copeland. The track is called ‘Busy Equalizing’. An extended version appears on his album The Equalizer and Other Cliff Hangers.

Six episodes in the 1988 season were scored by Joseph Conlan and the final season was scored by Cameron Allan. Other episodes were scored by John Cacavas.

Episodes

Main article: List of The Equalizer episodes

The following is an episode list of the CBS show The Equalizer.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Premiered:	Ended:
	1	22	September 18, 1985	April 8, 1986
	2	22	October 8, 1986	May 27, 1987
	3	22	September 23, 1987	May 4, 1988
	4	22	October 26, 1988	August 24, 1989

DVD releases

At present, the following DVD sets have been released.

DVD set	Company	Release date
The Equalizer: Season 1	Universal Home Video	February 12, 2008
The Equalizer: The Complete Collection; Limited Edition	Visual Entertainment	August 19, 2014
The Equalizer: The Complete Season 2	Visual Entertainment	August 26, 2014
The Equalizer: The Complete Season 3	Visual Entertainment	October 24, 2014
The Equalizer: The Complete Season 4	Visual Entertainment	November 25, 2014

Episodes

Season one

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
01-01	"The Equalizer"	Rod Holcomb	Michael Sloan & Richard Lindheim	September 18, 1985 (1985-09-18)	83517
Robert McCall, disenchanted with "The Company" (an otherwise unnamed American intelligence agency), quits and starts his own detective agency. His first cases are helping a computer clerk whose life is in danger after he stumbles across some incriminating data, and a woman being stalked by a crazed man.
01-02	"China Rain"	Richard Compton	Teleplay: Joel Surnow, Maurice Hurley, & Victor Hsu Story: Victor Hsu	September 25, 1985 (1985-09-25)	61204
When a Chinese maid's young son is snatched by mistake in place of the son of the woman's wealthy employers, McCall is hired to locate the boy.
01-03	"The Defector"	Rod Holcomb	Heywood Gould	October 2, 1985 (1985-10-02)	61213
McCall comes to the aid of a Russian double agent who wants to defect to the west but when the man is murdered, McCall must protect his ballerina daughter. Meanwhile, McCall also helps a teenager stand up to a group of bullies while balancing time with his latest mistress.
01-04	"The Lock Box"	Russ Mayberry	Teleplay: Frank Military, Joel Surnow, & Maurice Hurley Story: Frank Military	October 9, 1985 (1985-10-09)	61216
When a teenage girl is abducted by a pimp who runs an anything-goes, invitation-only brothel, the girl's parents hire McCall to find their missing daughter. Guest star Adam Ant.
01-05	"Lady Cop"	Russ Mayberry	Teleplay: Maurice Hurley & Joel Surnow Story: Kathryn Bigelow, Maurice Hurley & Joel Surnow	October 16, 1985 (1985-10-16)	61208
A young policewoman hires McCall when she finds that her partner and his cronies are corrupt, and intend to make sure that she doesn't blow the whistle on them.
01-06	"The Confirmation Day"	Richard Colla	Teleplay: Edward Adler & Heywood Gould Story: Eric Blakeney & Gene Miller	October 23, 1985 (1985-10-23)	61205
A teenage boy hires McCall for help after his father stole a truckload of antiques, which resulted in the man's friend being shot dead and the boy's father now being wanted by the Mob. McCall also helps an old lady who is sure someone is stalking her.
01-07	"The Children's Song"	TBA	TBA	October 30, 1985 (1985-10-30)	61203
McCall takes his estranged son Scott for a weekend away in the country to try and bond, but they don't exactly have a quiet time when they end up protecting a girl from young thugs who killed her boyfriend and now intend to keep her from talking.
01-08	"The Distant Fire"	TBA	TBA	November 6, 1985 (1985-11-06)	61201
McCall is forced to team up with a known hitman, to save the life of a woman they both used to love from a killer.
01-09	"Mama's Boy"	TBA	TBA	November 13, 1985 (1985-11-13)	61219
A single mother hires McCall to straighten up her troubled teenage son, who is going off the rails after falling in with a drug runner with martial arts skills.
01-10	"Bump and Run"	TBA	TBA	November 20, 1985 (1985-11-20)	61214
McCall must track down a vigilante who is killing punks in his name, while also helping a female student who is in danger from some thugs after an attempted car-jacking against her went wrong, leaving one of them dead and the surviving thugs seeking retribution.
01-11	"Desperately"	TBA	TBA	December 4, 1985 (1985-12-04)	61221
McCall protects a lonely wife after a stranger tried to lure her into an affair, breaking into an apartment and murdering a man in the process. Things get even worse when the stranger turns out to be a hit-man.
01-12	"Reign of Terror"	TBA	TBA	December 11, 1985 (1985-12-11)	61220
McCall does his best to rectify the situation when the new doctor at a local clinic in gang territory is targeted by the vicious gang after she refuses to give them drugs as payment for working on their turf.
01-13	"Back Home"	TBA	TBA	December 18, 1985 (1985-12-18)	61209
When McCall is hired to protect the elderly residents of a run down apartment block, who are being harassed by the block's banker owner (Frank Converse), he also discovers that the man has arranged to have his estranged wife (Marisa Berenson) murdered.
01-14	"Out of the Past"	TBA	TBA	January 15, 1986 (1986-01-15)	61224
A deranged, dying ex-con is harassing the man who testified against him. McCall is called for protection by the man's wife – the woman who McCall was married to years before.
01-15	"Dead Drop"	TBA	TBA	January 22, 1986 (1986-01-22)	61230
When a man is marked for murder after innocently having his name used in a mailing racket, McCall assembles a team of contacts to stake out the group behind the scam and let it be known that McCall's client is innocent.
01-16	"Wash Up"	TBA	TBA	January 29, 1986 (1986-01-29)	61228
McCall is hired by two skyscraper window washers, who are certain that their boss is trying to have them killed after they set about forming a union.
01-17	"Torn"	TBA	TBA	February 5, 1986 (1986-02-05)	61211
McCall is hired to protect a woman and her young daughter (played by a 9-year-old Melissa Joan Hart) from her abusive husband about to be released from prison, but finds his time divided as he also tries to get even with a contact who betrayed him years before.
01-18	"Unnatural Causes"	TBA	TBA	February 12, 1986 (1986-02-12)	61233
A serial killer, who targets lonely middle aged women and leaves an orchid at the scene of the crime, is on the loose. McCall investigates, while also being hired by a young wannabe actress who has fallen foul of a flashy pimp.
01-19	"Breakpoint"	TBA	TBA	February 19, 1986 (1986-02-19)	61226
McCall is attending a wedding reception when the party is suddenly taken hostage by a group of terrorists (the ringleader played by Tony Shalhoub) who have kidnapped a Middle East philanthropist.
01-20	"No Conscience"	TBA	TBA	March 26, 1986 (1986-03-26)	61231
A womanizer is kidnapped and beaten up for a piece of information that his captors want – but he doesn't know what it is. Given 36 hours, the man hires McCall to help him, a case with many turns.
01-21	"Unpunished Crimes"	TBA	TBA	April 1, 1986 (1986-04-01)	61227
McCall is hired by a boy to help his inventor father, whose designs were ripped off by a multi-million dollar corporation run by a ruthless executive.
01-22	"Pretenders"	TBA	TBA	April 8, 1986 (1986-04-08)	61234
McCall is hired by a fledgling reporter who is convinced that her new apartment neighbor is up to no good. But she can't prove anything, and the police don't want to know.

Season two

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
02-01	"Prelude"	TBA	TBA	October 8, 1986 (1986-10-08)	TBA
A dictator, who McCall helped bring to power, kidnaps an American journalist who McCall must now rescue.
02-02	"Nocturne"	TBA	TBA	October 15, 1986 (1986-10-15)	TBA
McCall comes to the aid of a blind rape victim who hears the voice of her attacker.
02-03	"A Community of Civilized Men"	TBA	TBA	October 22, 1986 (1986-10-22)	TBA
A widow is being pressed to pay off her husband's debts, and enlists McCall's help to keep the collectors off her back.
02-04	"Joyride"	TBA	TBA	October 29, 1986 (1986-10-29)	TBA
A hearse, bearing a coffin full of crack cocaine, is stolen and taken for a joyride by two young boys who are unaware of the contents of the coffin.
02-05	"Shades of Darkness"	TBA	TBA	November 5, 1986 (1986-11-05)	TBA
McCall must clear a National Guardsman wrongly charged with murder.
02-06	"Nightscape"	TBA	TBA	November 12, 1986 (1986-11-12)	TBA
McCall is asked by a rape victim to stop her husband from seeking revenge on her attackers.
02-07	"Counterfire"	TBA	TBA	November 19, 1986 (1986-11-19)	TBA
McCall is framed for a blind man's murder, and the waitress who set him up is nearly killed. McCall must work with the girl to find the man who set up both of them and restore his good name.
02-08	"The Line"	TBA	TBA	November 26, 1986 (1986-11-26)	TBA
McCall is called upon to help a woman whose son was killed by a citizen's patrol group.
02-09	"Tip on a Sure Thing"	TBA	TBA	December 3, 1986 (1986-12-03)	TBA
A bookie kidnaps a jockey's son in an attempt to fix the outcome of a horse race.
02-10	"The Cup"	TBA	TBA	December 10, 1986 (1986-12-10)	TBA
Mickey Kostmayer's brother, a priest, hears a criminal confession moments before the man is murdered.
02-11	"Heartstrings"	TBA	TBA	December 17, 1986 (1986-12-17)	TBA
A woman's baby son has been kidnapped, and McCall is called on to retrieve him. This episode features Edward Woodward's real wife Michele Dotrice.
02-12	"High Performance"	TBA	TBA	January 7, 1987 (1987-01-07)	TBA
McCall protects a construction worker who is both a witness to a killing and the murderer's next target.
02-13	"Beyond Control"	TBA	TBA	January 14, 1987 (1987-01-14)	TBA
McCall must protect his former boss Control from a KGB hitman.
02-14	"Carnal Persuasion"	TBA	TBA	January 21, 1987 (1987-01-21)	TBA
A judge offers to release a convicted man... if his wife will perform sexual favors for him.
02-15	"Memories of Manon: Part 1"	TBA	TBA	February 4, 1987 (1987-02-04)	TBA
A joint American/Canadian task force, led by Phillip Marcel, is destroying mob operations along the Eastern seaboard with the assistance of an informant codenamed Chrysalis. Mob boss Frank Dorgan kidnaps Phillip's daughter, Yvette, and threatens to kill Phillip if she doesn't provide the identity of Chrysalis. Yvette turns to her godfather, Control, who enlists McCall to protect the Marcels. Control reveals that Yvette is the daughter of McCall's beloved former operative, Manon...but doesn't reveal her other secret...
02-16	"Memories of Manon: Part 2"	TBA	TBA	February 11, 1987 (1987-02-11)	TBA
Dorgan kidnaps Yvette again to raise the stakes in his pursuit of Chrysalis. McCall must now play Dorgan against Chrysalis to thwart Chrysalis' plans and save the Marcels – while coming to terms with his own link to Yvette.
02-17	"Solo"	TBA	TBA	February 18, 1987 (1987-02-18)	TBA
A woman is wanted in Pennsylvania for a policeman's murder...and McCall is the woman's new lover.
02-18	"A Place to Stay"	TBA	TBA	February 25, 1987 (1987-02-25)	TBA
McCall takes the case of a runaway child who has been taken in by a child porn artist.
02-19	"Coal Black Soul"	TBA	TBA	May 6, 1987 (1987-05-06)	TBA
McCall deals with someone who claims he can't stop killing women and also has his eyes on a female psychiatrist.
02-20	"First Light"	TBA	TBA	May 13, 1987 (1987-05-13)	TBA
Scott takes on his father's role as "The Equalizer" while his father is away, and his case involves a merchant seemingly harassed by local thugs...but Robert's true nemesis holds a grudge from World War II.
02-21	"Hand and Glove"	TBA	TBA	May 20, 1987 (1987-05-20)	TBA
An invalid woman has nightmares, and one of them comes true when one of the figures from them appears in her room.
02-22	"Re-Entry"	TBA	TBA	May 27, 1987 (1987-05-27)	TBA
McCall is called on to help a man who was tricked into committing a crime.

Season three

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
03-01	"Blood and Wine: Part 1"	TBA	TBA	September 23, 1987 (1987-09-23)	TBA
McCall and a monk, who was a terrorist before his conversion, must track down the monk's former partner.
03-02	"Blood and Wine: Part 2"	TBA	TBA	September 23, 1987 (1987-09-23)	TBA
Part 2 of a 2-hour season premiere.
03-03	"Suspicion of Innocence"	TBA	TBA	September 30, 1987 (1987-09-30)	TBA
A mentally retarded man (played by Vincent D'Onofrio) witnesses the murder of one of his coworkers in an alley, is charged with the crime and enlists McCall to help prove his innocence.
03-04	"In the Money"	TBA	TBA	October 7, 1987 (1987-10-07)	TBA
A woman crosses some corrupt stock traders.
03-05	"Encounter in a Closed Room"	TBA	TBA	October 14, 1987 (1987-10-14)	TBA
A Soviet defector's parents have been kidnapped by the KGB and will only release them if she convinces another defector to return to their home country.
03-06	"Mission: McCall; Part 1"	TBA	TBA	October 28, 1987 (1987-10-28)	TBA
McCall is kidnapped by the KGB and Scott enlists help of a former Agency colleague Richard Dyson (played by Robert Mitchum) to free him.
03-07	"Mission: McCall; Part 2"	TBA	TBA	November 4, 1987 (1987-11-04)	TBA
Part 2: Dyson enlists former deep cover operative Harley Gage to assist him in rescuing McCall from his KGB captors.
03-08	"Shadow Play"	TBA	TBA	November 11, 1987 (1987-11-11)	TBA
McCall must help colleague Harley Gage protect a government witness from assassins who are looking to keep him from testifying before a Congressional Oversight Committee.
03-09	"Inner View"	TBA	TBA	November 18, 1987 (1987-11-18)	TBA
McCall is enlisted by a psychic who claims to have seen a serial killer's next murder.
03-10	"The Rehearsal"	TBA	TBA	December 2, 1987 (1987-12-02)	TBA
McCall and Gage are trapped in a theater with an acting company after someone plants bombs at all the theater's exits and cuts the phone lines.
03-11	"Christmas Presence"	TBA	TBA	December 16, 1987 (1987-12-16)	TBA
McCall and Gage are called on to protect a six-year-old boy with AIDS, whose grandmother is dealing with increasingly violent harassment from their scared neighbors.
03-12	"A Dance on the Dark Side"	TBA	TBA	January 13, 1988 (1988-01-13)	TBA
McCall must protect a police switchboard operator who overheard a policeman talk about his former partner's murder and is now being threatened into silence.
03-13	"The Child Broker"	TBA	TBA	January 20, 1988 (1988-01-20)	TBA
McCall helps a young woman whose boyfriend is being used as a pseudo-slave.
03-14	"Video Games"	TBA	TBA	January 27, 1988 (1988-01-27)	TBA
An investigative reporter tracking information on a call-girl operation and his daughter's death goes missing.
03-15	"Something Green"	TBA	TBA	February 10, 1988 (1988-02-10)	TBA
A diplomat has kidnapped his son (Macaulay Culkin) from his ex-wife and has $10 million in mob money in tow. McCall is called on to stop them from leaving the country.
03-16	"The Mystery of Manon: Part 1"	TBA	TBA	February 17, 1988 (1988-02-17)	TBA
Control's goddaughter Yvette Marcel returns, asking Control and McCall for help with her father Phillip, who has received information that his wife Manon - long believed to be dead - may still be alive.
03-17	"The Mystery of Manon: Part 2"	TBA	TBA	February 24, 1988 (1988-02-24)	TBA
With Phillip now dead, McCall and Control must discover the true identity of the woman who believes herself to be Manon - and expose the shadow party controlling her.
03-18	"No Place Like Home"	TBA	TBA	March 16, 1988 (1988-03-16)	TBA
A man on welfare is in need of help from McCall to protect him from his abusive landlord.
03-19	"Last Call"	TBA	TBA	March 23, 1988 (1988-03-23)	TBA
Kostmayer and several others are taking hostage by a rapist on the run from a Mafia assassin.
03-20	"Regrets Only"	TBA	TBA	March 30, 1988 (1988-03-30)	TBA
A woman is stalked by her ex. husband.
03-21	"Target of Choice"	TBA	TBA	April 6, 1988 (1988-04-06)	TBA
A murderer is paroled, and the man who helped put him away finds out he is living in his neighborhood.
03-22	"Always a Lady"	TBA	TBA	May 4, 1988 (1988-05-04)	TBA
McCall is called on to try to save a former colleague, who is apparently framed for money theft.

Season four

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
04-01	"The Last Campaign"	TBA	TBA	October 26, 1988 (1988-10-26)	TBA
A state senate candidate (Stanley Tucci) is blackmailing the incumbent (E.G. Marshall) to endorse him for election.
04-02	"Sea of Fire"	TBA	TBA	November 2, 1988 (1988-11-02)	TBA
McCall is called on to help a high school principal deal with a gang who raped a female student in the school gym.
04-03	"Riding the Elephant"	TBA	TBA	November 9, 1988 (1988-11-09)	TBA
Two Thai nationals are being hassled by a racketeer with connections to McCall's past employers.
04-04	"Eighteen with a Bullet"	TBA	TBA	November 16, 1988 (1988-11-16)	TBA
McCall and Kostmayer help a young singer escape the clutches of her manager, who is up to no good.
04-05	"The Day of the Covenant"	TBA	TBA	December 7, 1988 (1988-12-07)	TBA
In a case of mistaken identity, Scott's girlfriend is kidnapped by an Afrikaner fanatic who believes she is a terrorist.
04-06	"Splinters"	TBA	TBA	December 14, 1988 (1988-12-14)	TBA
Kidnappers take Kostmayer hostage and torture him in an attempt to turn him on McCall.
04-07	"Making of a Martyr"	TBA	TBA	January 11, 1989 (1989-01-11)	TBA
A gun control advocate receives threatening phone calls.
04-08	"The Sins Of Our Fathers"	TBA	TBA	January 18, 1989 (1989-01-18)	TBA
A mobster's son is kidnapped as part of a revenge plot against his father.
04-09	"The Visitation"	TBA	TBA	February 1, 1989 (1989-02-01)	TBA
An ex-lover of McCall's is forced to help victims of a virus carried by two men who have killed an international arms dealer.
04-10	"Past Imperfect"	TBA	TBA	February 15, 1989 (1989-02-15)	TBA
A cartel uses a man's estranged son to try to make the man do what they want him to.
04-11	"Trial by Ordeal"	TBA	TBA	March 1, 1989 (1989-03-01)	TBA
McCall defends Control against treason charges filed against him by The Company.
04-12	"Silent Fury"	TBA	TBA	March 8, 1989 (1989-03-08)	TBA
McCall helps a deaf robbery victim.
04-13	"Lullaby of Darkness"	TBA	TBA	March 30, 1989 (1989-03-30)	TBA
McCall is called on to help a mother and daughter escape their abusive home life.
04-14	"17 Zebra"	TBA	TBA	April 6, 1989 (1989-04-06)	TBA
McCall investigates the death of several homeless people who have died from heart attacks while in ambulances.
04-15	"Starfire"	TBA	TBA	April 13, 1989 (1989-04-13)	TBA
McCall helps a man who is convinced he is an alien being hunted by killers.
04-16	"Time Present, Time Past"	TBA	TBA	April 20, 1989 (1989-04-20)	TBA
Scott and a Bulgarian defector (who was aided by his father) are kidnapped, and Scott enters his father's line of work when he tries to rescue the man.
04-17	"Prisoners of Conscience"	TBA	TBA	April 27, 1989 (1989-04-27)	TBA
McCall tries to free a Chilean poet from the grasp of a man who killed his father years ago.
04-18	"The Caper"	TBA	TBA	May 4, 1989 (1989-05-04)	TBA
A cleaning woman witnesses a murder and tries to solve it.
04-19	"Heart of Justice"	TBA	TBA	May 11, 1989 (1989-05-11)	TBA
A man hellbent on getting revenge on the men who attacked his wife enlists McCall's help when he finds out someone else has gotten to them first.
04-20	"Race Traitors"	TBA	TBA	June 29, 1989 (1989-06-29)	TBA
McCall comes to the aid of a black family being harassed by racists.
04-21	"Endgame"	TBA	TBA	August 10, 1989 (1989-08-10)	TBA
A man who is a master of strategy games uses his knowledge to plot revenge against two sisters.
04-22	"Suicide Squad"	TBA	TBA	August 24, 1989 (1989-08-24)	TBA
McCall aids a young student who has turned to drug dealing after he loses his athletic scholarship at college.

External links

• The Equalizer at IMDb
• The Equalizer at epguides.com
• The Equalizer at TV.com

The show ran for four seasons of 22 episodes each. It was initially renewed for a fifth season (causing Keith Szarabajka to turn down a role on Midnight Caller). However, the show was later canceled due to a row between CBS and Universal Studios over the renewal of Murder, She Wrote.

In The Story of The Equalizer, created for the DVD box set, executive producer Coleman Luck also stated that Universal requested a script for a crossover episode with Magnum, P.I. despite the objections of the crew due to the vastly different tones of the two shows. Ultimately, the crossover did not happen and the episode was re-written as "Beyond Control".

Reception

Television ratings

Nielsen ratings per season of The Equalizer

Season	Episodes	First aired		Last aired		TV season	Rank	Avg. HH rating
		Date	HH rating	Date	HH rating
1	22	September 18, 1985	18.3	April 8, 1986	10.8	1985–86	63	12.6
2	22	October 8, 1986	17.0	May 27, 1987	13.4	1986–87	36	15.4
3	22	September 23, 1987	14.4	May 4, 1988	11.9	1987–88	54	12.8
4	22	October 26, 1988	11.9	August 24, 1989	8.2	1987–88	66	11.0

Critical response

After the broadcast of the first episode in September 1985, the show received mixed reviews. Critic Tom Shales wrote in The Washington Post that "to judge from this very attractively atmospheric premiere [the show] could become a welcome guest in many an American home". However, for People, Jeff Jarvis wrote "The plot’s confusing and the show’s as erratic as a pacemaker on low batteries".

Home media

On February 12, 2008, Universal Studios released Season 1 of The Equalizer on DVD-Video in Region 1 (US only).

On May 15, 2013, it was announced that Visual Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series in Region 1. They subsequently released season 2 on DVD on August 26, 2014. Season 3 was released on October 25, 2014, followed by season 4 on November 24, 2014.

Visual Entertainment also released a limited edition complete series set on DVD on August 19, 2014. The Equalizer Complete Collection Limited Edition set contains all 88 episodes plus 12 hours of bonus content including CI5: The New Professionals; the last film ever done by Edward Woodward, A Congregation of Ghosts; and The Story of The Equalizer featuring interviews with cast and crew.

In Region 2, Universal Playback UK released season 1 on DVD on April 21, 2008. In late 2011, Fabulous Films announced that they had acquired the rights to the series. They have subsequently released seasons 2–4. On May 27, 2013, Fabulous Films released The Equalizer: The Complete Collection on DVD. This 24-disc box set contains all 88 episodes of the series as well as bonus content including an all-new documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew.

Many fans have noted that the Region 1 version has had several of the originally used songs replaced. In fact nearly 50 per cent of all music apart from the theme, and scoring by Stewart Copeland has been replaced by "covers" due to expired music licensing agreements, and the costs which would be incurred in the US to have the licensing renewed. In contrast, the Region 2 version contains all of the original music intact.

In Region 4, Umbrella Entertainment has released all four seasons on DVD in Australia.

DVD Name	Ep#	Release dates
		Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
The First Season	22	February 12, 2008	April 21, 2008	March 9, 2011
The Second Season	22	August 26, 2014	March 26, 2012	April 4, 2012
The Third Season	22	October 25, 2014	October 1, 2012	August 1, 2012
The Fourth Season	22	November 24, 2014	October 29, 2012	November 7, 2012

Adaptations

Film series

Main articles: The Equalizer (film) and The Equalizer 2

A film starring Denzel Washington in the title role, very loosely based upon the series, was released in September 2014. It was followed by a sequel, The Equalizer 2, which was released on July 20, 2018. Melissa Leo, who was a guest star in "The Defector," the third episode of the TV series, appears in both movies.

Television series

Main article: The Equalizer (2021 TV series)

In November 2019, CBS announced that a reboot is in development with Queen Latifah in the lead role as Robyn McCall. Andrew Marlowe and Terri Miller will serve as showrunners with Latifah herself as an executive producer. On January 27, 2020, CBS issued a pilot order for the new version.

The series was among the 14 pilots ordered by CBS in February 2020 and was fast tracked to series the following March, as they are unable to film their pilots where Universal Television was shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On May 8, 2020, CBS picked up the series and they added Chris Noth as William Bishop, a quirky ex-CIA director who is the opposite of Latifah. It premiered on February 7, 2021, after Super Bowl LV.

Literature

A collection of novels featuring Robert McCall have been written by the original co-creator Michael Sloan. The first is simply entitled The Equalizer published in 2014, followed by Killed in Action: An Equalizer Novel, which was released in 2018. The novels are a modern reimagining of the original series and focus on McCall leaving The Company and eventually becoming a private investigator in New York. It also features a number of original recurring characters from the television series such as Mickey Kostmayer, Control, and Scott McCall. A third novel, Equalizer: Requiem was released in 2020.

See also

• Callan, a TV spy series in which Woodward played a character similar to that of The Equalizer's Robert McCall.

External links

• The Equalizer at IMDb