TV Review - The Equalizer (2021)

CBS remade its 1985 series about a CIA agent who becomes a private investigator helping people who don't feel like they can go to the local police. It was part of a trend back then that included shows like Knight Rider (1982) that was about people needing or wanting something other than police to deal with problems. It wasn't exactly about vigilantism, but it was about recognizing the limits of police. Comic book films and TV shows are similar. Over 30 years later, that trend could come back in an appropriate way. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests after the death of George Floyd, the criticism of police has never been stronger in terms of what it can do and what it can't do, so this CBS series actually is or can be quite relevant.

Queen Latifah (Star and Living Single) stars as Robin McCall, the CIA agent who walks away from her job to focus more on her family. She's a single mother who lives in New York City with her sister who is helping her raise her teenage daughter. Robin focuses on raising her daughter. However, she notices people in trouble who aren't getting help from law enforcement that they need. Given that she's highly trained, she decides to use her skills to make sure those people aren't railroaded or victimized any further. She also has to juggle being a mother to her teenage daughter who is upset that her mom often isn't around.

Tory Kittles (True Detective and Sons of Anarchy) co-stars as Marcus Dante, a detective in the NYPD who realizes that this woman is going around helping people outside the law. He doesn't know her name. He knows what she looks like because she came to the police station to help one of her clients, but he wasn't able to get her true identity. He wants to find what her true identity is. At the same time, there is a flirtation between the two and some sexual chemistry. Marcus doesn't trust her at first. He then comes to see that she's a good person and is doing good things. He just takes issue because she's not operating within the bounds of the law. Yet, it's clear that he likes her.

Yes, it's a police procedural program not unlike so many others on CBS. However, given that CBS has been criticized for its lack of diversity over the years, it was great that at least this show puts people of color, specifically women of color, in the forefront. CBS has made good strides to rectify its on-screen diversity issue, especially since 2018. Yet, those who yearn for the kind of action and violence that's not graphic but fun can add this series to their lineup. This show is a bit more serious than typical comic book film or TV show violence, but it's not too serious. There have been films and shows that have men of a certain age in the center of the action, even in the 1985 series. This one puts a woman of a certain age in the center of the action and lets her kick ass. It's also what the CW's Walker should have been, in terms of rebooting an 80's cop show. It incorporates character development and choreographed action in engaging ways.

Rated TV-14-VL.
Running Time: 1 hr.
Sundays at 8 PM on CBS.