Queen Latifah can’t save “The Equalizer” herself.
The actress, 55, admitted in a new interview with Us Weekly that she has no say in the future of her CBS drama series that was canceled by CBS after five seasons earlier this month.
“It is a little out of my hands in terms of what happens with it from this point forward,” Latifah said.
“But I do appreciate what we were able to do and we made some good TV,” she added.
Latifah, who was both the lead star and an executive producer on the show, admitted that she’s still “processing” the cancellation.
“It occurred to me that it has been such a big part of my life for the last — more than — five years actually,” she explained. “I’m thankful. I’m very grateful. I’m in a very grateful place. I’m grateful to the fans of the show for sticking with it.”
“I appreciate CBS putting us on and my producing partners and the wonderful cast I got to work with,” Latifah continued. “They became my family. There is also this wonderful crew, writers, showrunners and everybody was involved in it. And really the fans who rocked with us.”
“The Equalizer” was a reboot of the 1985 series of the same name starring Edward Woodward.
The show also starred Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira, Laya DeLeon Hayes and Lorraine Toussaint. It was nominated for several awards, including BET, the NAACP Image Awards, People’s Choice and Critics’ Choice.
The first episode aired after the 2021 Super Bowl and scored more than 20 million live viewers, but the ratings declined over the years.
When the prime-time thriller wasn’t renewed alongside other CBS shows in February, Deadline reported Latifah “agreed to concessions” to help the show’s chances at getting renewed for a 13-episode sixth and final season.
But CBS ultimately canceled the series on May 2, just two days before the Season 5 finale aired, due to finances.
The network also shafted a planned spinoff starring Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz.
Latifah released a statement on Instagram after her series was canceled and said her “kick-ass role” as Robyn McCall “was everything I hope it would be.”
“‘The Equalizer’ blew past every dream we had for it, and having the opportunity to do this for five seasons honestly feels surreal,” she wrote.
Latifah also thanked the show’s “loyal” and “ride-or-die” fans, adding, “That’s exactly why we keep doing this. We can’t thank you enough. It means the world to us.”