‘Equalizer’ joins CBS’s violent schedule
The notion that everything has to be remade at least once is hardly new. But it does seem to have gained velocity of late. Which brings us to the “new” “Equalizer” (Sunday, CBS, post-Super Bowl). Not to give too much away, but a plot point quickly turns on the possible existence of a “deep fake,” the ability to digitally insert another person in an incriminating film. That’s interesting, since the pilot’s script seems written by some machine, fed with cliches from other violent procedurals.
Queen Latifah stars in the title role. Known as Robyn McCall, she’s “The Equalizer,” the street-savvy operator you can turn to when the cops are not an option, or seem compromised.
To her precocious daughter, Robyn works as an executive for a international charity. But she’s really CIA, steeped in global intrigue and experience. Chris Noth (“Law & Order”) is Bishop, her shadowy guru, the former director of the agency. Lorraine Toussaint plays a role she’s too familiar with: the truth-telling friend and sage mentor. Melody (Liza Lapira) is a pal from the old days, and a crack sniper to boot. As if to round out a barrel of familiar types, there’s Harry Keshegian (Adam Goldberg, “Saving Private Ryan”), the nervous, brilliant hacker, code-cracker and socially inept keyboard clicker.
It’s hardly news that “The Equalizer” isn’t very original. Or very good. But it’s still a little sad how little that matters. It’s also depressing how well “The Equalizer” fits on the network’s schedule. After “S.W.A.T.,” “Magnum P.I.” and “MacGyver,” it’s the fourth remake on a current schedule that just recently shed “Hawaii Five-0.”
Take away Saturday nights and CBS is responsible for 18 hours of prime-time programming. Of those hours, 12, or two-thirds (67%!), are procedurals with varying degrees of violence. More than half of them sport acronyms (three “NCIS,” two “FBI,” “SEAL Team” and “S.W.A.T.”)! From the military paranoia of “SEAL Team” to the relatively family-driven “Blue Bloods,” all feature casual gunplay, murder, explosions, snipers and rampant paranoia presented as just another day at the office.
To put this in some perspective, last Tuesday, two FBI officers were killed in the line of duty, the first such fatalities since 2008. But on “FBI,” that seems to happen every week.
It’s also interesting to note that CBS’s embrace of over-the-top violence takes place at a time when it has abandoned the hospital procedural. Apparently, nobody watches CBS to be “healed.”
Much has been made of the toxic stew of popular sedition flowing from certain “news” outlets. But what is the cumulative effect of such dire nonsense served up as “entertainment” on the most watched network?
On Thursday, CBS introduces “Clarice,” a sequel of sorts to “The Silence of the Lambs,” set in the world of serial killers.
› Steve Carell stars as a politician consultant in the 2020 political satire “Irresistible” (8 p.m. Saturday, HBO), written and directed by Jon Stewart. The film, also featuring Chris Cooper, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne and Rose Byrne, received middling to poor reviews from critics who felt it was “soft,” a bit behind the curve and not a good use of its talented cast.
At a time when Carell was so badly miscast in “The Morning Show” and wasted in Netflix’s unwatchable “Space Force,” his series “The Office” remained one of the most streamed sitcom reruns. It has since moved from Netflix to Peacock.