TV Show review
Review basis: 5 seasons, 74 episodes · through May 4, 2025
February 7, 2021 · TV-14 · Canceled
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Equalizer is a CBS crime drama that ran for five seasons with 74 episodes. Queen Latifah stars as Robyn McCall, a former CIA operative and single mother who secretly uses her skills as a vigilante to help people with no other options. The show reimagines the classic character as a Black woman and includes a scene in the pilot where Robyn tells her teenage daughter that society’s odds do not favor Black girls. Cases often involve helping people from marginalized communities, and the series was marketed as a milestone for Black women in lead action roles.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Equalizer.
Woke representation / casting
Queen Latifah plays Robyn McCall as the prominent competent Black female lead in a gender and race swapped version of the original white male character. The core cast includes multiple Black actors in key family and law enforcement roles. Marketing and reviews repeatedly frame this as a milestone for Black women in action leads.
Woke political dialogue
The pilot includes direct dialogue where Robyn tells her Black daughter that society’s odds do not favor Black girls and warns against giving the world reasons to marginalize her. Some episodes add references to systemic issues and inequality.
Identity-driven story themes
The premise follows a Black single mother vigilante helping the downtrodden and people who fall through the cracks, frequently from minority or marginalized groups. Early storylines tie personal redemption to broader community and racial challenges.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Robyn operates outside police and government rules because the system fails vulnerable people. Coverage notes emphasis on systemic forces, corporations, and inequality, plus a Black detective character chafing against the system, timed with post-2020 social commentary.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
The iconic Robert McCall from the original series and films is reimagined as Robyn McCall, a Black female former CIA operative and single mother. The change was publicly discussed and marketed as a deliberate reimagining to feature a Black woman in the role.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Viewers and critics on social media, Reddit, Metacritic, and sites like Breitbart complained about the race and gender swap as DEI casting, called it woke propaganda, and criticized physical miscasting in action scenes along with messaging that favors minority characters and systemic critiques.
Creator track record context
Queen Latifah as star and executive producer has a record of centering Black female empowerment and has publicly acknowledged her female partner while expressing Pride support. The reboot development and marketing stressed representation. Other key creators show minimal activist history.
