Fans of the hit CBS action drama The Equalizer were stunned as the network announced that they were cancelling the Queen Latifah-fronted show last Friday (May 2)after five seasons on air. The Grammy Award winning star issued a statement to her fans through a post on Instagram, which featured a photo of her as the lead character Robyn McCall with a key phrase from the show: “I’m the one you call when you can’t call 911.”

“Stepping into a kick-ass role like Robyn was everything I hoped it would be,” Queen Latifah began. “Shakim and I at Flavor Unit are always excited to bring these kinds of roles and projects to life—and then we just hope you love them as much as we do. The Equalizer blew past every dream we had for it, and having the opportunity to do this for five seasons honestly feels surreal.”

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She concluded, “Thank you to our amazing cast, crew, and producers and writers! And I can’t say enough about the FANS!Y’all have been so loyal, so loud, and so ride-or-die—and that’s exactly why we keep doing this. We can’t thank you enough. It means the world to us. And don’t worry—I’ll be back kicking ass in something new real soon. Can’t wait to share it with you.” The Equalizer was a fan favorite for CBS since its premiere in 2020, with talks of a sixth season as late as last fall. But according to the Hollywood Reporter, a ratings drop from 7.89 million last year to under 6 million after the Super Bowl nudged the network towards pulling the plug.

The Equalizer stood out on the short list of canceled projects by CBS entering the summer season (including Damon Wayans and his son Damon Wayan Jr’s Poppa’s House), and the finale for the fifth season, which is now the ending for the show, was entitled “Decisions.” The ending also meant the end for a potential spinoff featuring veteran actor Titus Welliver, who played a former CIA agent who Robyn helps rescue along with his daughter in the next to last episode, played by Juani Feliz. The proposed series wasn’t ordered prior to the cancellation.

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The post Queen Latifah Breaks Her Silence on ‘Equalizer’ Cancellation: ‘I’ll Be Kicking A-s Soon’ appeared first on MadameNoire.