‘Equalizer’ reboot joins old-is-new-again CBS
Reboots are all the rage these days, and CBS is leading the increasingly popular TV trend.
Long known for its proliferation of procedurals such as the “CSI” and “NCIS” franchises, the network has lately had success making the old new again. Revivals of “MacGyver,” “Magnum P.I.” and “S.W.A.T.” are all part of CBS’ prime-time lineup.
On TV, at least, familiarity breeds content.
“It’s so hard to get attention for new series,” said Tim Brooks, a TV historian and former programming researcher for Lifetime Television and the USA Networks. “How do you break through, get that attention? Put something on that people already know. They’re more likely to give the reboot of a show they liked a try.”
CBS’ latest reboot is “The Equalizer,” which will debut after the Super Bowl on Sunday before moving into its regular time slot at 7 p.m. Feb. 14.
The newcomer is an essentially faithful take on the popular crime drama from the 1980s, with one big twist. Queen Latifah takes over the part originated by British actor Edward Woodward. His character was named Robert McCall; hers is Robyn McCall.
As in the original, McCall is an ex-intelligence officer who’s fed up with a justice system that is heavily slanted toward the privileged. So she plans to do everything in her power to equalize the playing field for the ignored and downtrodden.
“She’s done working for the people who make the big decisions,” Latifah said during an online press session. “She is all about taking what she has learned through the years, what she’s mastered deftly, and using it for everybody — the people that can’t get a break, the people that have it rough, the people who are in line for food.”
CBS is not alone in embracing such reboots.
The CW has “Charmed,” which is in its third season, and recently added “Walker,” a less-violent reboot of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” to its lineup. HBO, Fox and Showtime have announced revivals of the series “In Treatment,” “Fantasy Island” and “Dexter.”
On the streaming front, HBO Max will deliver an updated version of “Sex and the City” featuring three of its original stars and a new, scandal-laden “Gossip Girl,” which was a sixseason hit on The CW.
NBC’s Peacock is preparing a slate of remakes, including “Punky Brewster,” which will debut later this month, and a third go-around for “Battlestar Galactica,” developed by Sam Esmail of “Mr. Robot” fame.
Resurrecting a title from television’s past and applying a new coat of paint reflective of the times is, of course, not a new concept.
The first one, Brooks said, was “Dragnet.”
“It was a big hit of the 1950s, was brought back in ’67 and lasted for three seasons,” he said.
“Others were tried — new versions of ‘Maverick‘ and ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ for instance. But they didn’t last.”
CBS has mastered making new versions of old shows into hits.
It was the network’s relaunch of “Hawaii Five-O” in 2010 that “changed the calculus of reboots,” Brooks said.
The new version had lots in common with the one starring Jack Lord, including plenty of police action, breathtaking Hawaiian scenery — and longevity.
The original debuted in 1968 and lasted 12 seasons. The remake wrapped last year after 10 seasons
“Once you’ve gotten people into the tent, you have to keep them there by giving the viewers what they want,” Brooks said. “And that’s done by more or less capturing the feeling of the original show.”
The two CBS successes that followed, “MacGyver” and “Magnum, P.I.”, both came from Peter M. Lenkov, who had developed the second “Hawaii Five-0.”
As for “The Equalizer,” time will tell whether it can repeat the success of the first series, which ran for four seasons on CBS in the 1980s.
In its favor: Richard Lindheim, the co-creator of the original, helped develop the new series. He died in January.
“Richard Lindheim was a sweetheart of a man, and he was with us through this whole journey,” said Latifah, who’s also an executive producer of the series.
Add to that the fact that McCall is more a hero than an anti-hero, always fighting for what’s right. She’s a vigilante, sure, but one you can get behind.
“The Equalizer” also inspired a pair of Denzel Washington movies, though Latifah and the series’ producers made it clear they are patterning their revival after the TV show, not the box-office hits.
“The movie franchise is a lot darker. It is grim. It is bloody in that kind of very visceral way,” said executive producer Debra Martin Chase. “It was important for all of us, approaching this, that this show have warmth to it, that Robyn represents all women that are striking a balance between career and family and themselves and the world.”
Like the original McCall, Latifah’s character is divorced and has a difficult relationship with her child. After so many years as a CIA agent out in the field, she finds it hard to cope with the rebellious attitudes of her teenage daughter.
Don’t get the idea, however, that “The Equalizer” is a touchy-feely show.
“I like to fight as much as possible. We’re getting better with our fight choreography. I’m learning a lot about how to do it and how to do it efficiently and how to preserve my body as well,” said Latifah, 50.
“Hopefully, (viewers will) start to say, ‘Damn, Latifah was badass.’ The ego in me wants them to say that.”