The Equalizer_
"If the rules are against you he'll change them. If the odds are against you he'll even them."
Robert McCall is a former agent of a secret government agency who is now running his own private crime fighting operation where he fashions himself as "The Equalizer." It is a service for victims of the system who have exhausted all possible means of seeking justice and have nowhere to go. McCall promises to even out the odds for them.
Created By
Richard Lindheim, Michael Sloan
Network
CBS
Episodes
88
Updated Feb 16, 2026
WHERE TO WATCH
No streaming data available yet.
Check availabilityDROPTHE_ GOSSIP
Overview
The Equalizer has 4 seasons with 88 episodes spanning 1985-1989.
Edward Woodward →
Year context
The Equalizer first aired 41 years ago in 1985.
CAST (1)
SEASONS (4 seasons, 88 episodes)
SEASON 1
01
Pilot: The Equalizer
A former government agent offers his services to people facing problems too big for them to handle, such as a woman being stalked by a…
02
China Rain
McCall comes to the aid of a housekeeper when kidnappers grab her son by mistake.
03
The Defector
McCall helps a double agent defect and a young boy stand up to bullies.
04
The Lock Box
McCall helps a man whose daughter has been abducted by a pimp who services covert government operations.
05
Lady Cop
A crooked cop is willing to murder to ensure that his new partner won't blow the whistle on his operations.
06
The Confirmation Day
McCall helps a former showgirl convinced someone is stalking her and a boy whose father helped steal antiques now wanted by two separate parties.
07
The Children's Song
Father and son protect a girl from would-be rapists intent on killing the only witness to a murder.
08
The Distant Fire
A hit man wants help to prevent another killer from murdering a woman both McCall and the hitman once loved.
09
Mama's Boy
A career woman wants McCall's aid in ending her son's fascination with a charismatic drug dealer.
10
Bump and Run
Muggers seek revenge on a student who injured one of them while escaping, and a vigilante killer pins McCall's ad to his victims.
11
Desperately
A lonely, neglected wife gets more than she wanted when she considers a fling and ends up witnessing a murder.
12
Reign of Terror
The new doctor at a local clinic refuses to give gang members drugs as `rent' for using their turf.
13
Back Home
A banker is harassing tenants of a potentially valuable property and planning to murder his wife.
14
Out of the Past
An ex-con is harassing the man whose testimony put him away-the man now married to McCall's former wife.
15
Dead Drop
McCall assembles some old friends to protect a man marked for murder for no apparent reason.
16
Wash Up
A window washer witnesses the murder of his pro-union partner by their anti-union boss, who has his own witnesses to back his self-defense claim.
17
Torn
McCall tries to divide his time between defending a woman from her abusive husband and settling with an old enemy.
18
Unnatural Causes
McCall's on the trail of a serial killer, leaving him little time for an actress fallen into the wrong crowd.
19
Breakpoint
McCall is among those taken hostage by terrorists seeking a Middle Eastern philanthropist.
20
No Conscience
A womanizer is abducted and threatened with death if he doesn't give his captors what they want-but he can't figure out what.
21
Unpunished Crimes
McCall is hired by an inventor whose designs were stolen by a huge corporation headed by a ruthless executive.
22
Pretenders
An aspiring reporter, desperate for a scoop that will get her notice and a promotion, becomes convinced that something big is happening right in the…
SEASON 2
01
Prelude
Men working for a dictator McCall helped put into power kidnap an American journalist.
02
Nocturne
A blind music critic asks for help when she hears the voice of the man who raped her years before.
03
A Community of Civilized Men
McCall comes to the aid of a woman who's being squeezed to pay off her late husband's debts.
04
Joyride
Two boys drive off in a hearse; not knowing it contains a coffin full of crack.
05
Shades of Darkness
McCall helps a National Guardsman who faces a murder charge and threats from the real killer.
06
Nightscape
A rape victim asks McCall to stop her husband from tracking down her attackers.
07
Counterfire
The odds are against McCall when he's framed for the murder of a blind man.
08
The Line
The mother of a youth killed while being harassed by an overzealous citizen's patrol appeals to McCall for help.
09
Tip On a Sure Thing
A bookie that doesn't like the odds on a race kidnaps the son of the jockey and demands the father throw the race.
10
The Cup
Father Kostmayer hears the confession of a Polish agitator moments before he's gunned down.
11
Heartstrings
A woman asks McCall for help recovering her kidnapped newborn son.
12
High Performance
A construction worker becomes both witness and target when she sees a murder and is spotted by the killer.
13
Beyond Control
Control becomes McCall's client when a KGB agent who infiltrated a think tank is murdered.
14
Carnal Persuasion
A wife appeals to the judge sentencing her husband and is offered her husband's freedom for sexual favors.
15
Memories of Manon (1)
Control's goddaughter is threatened with the death of her father, a Canadian agent, unless she can reveal his informant. Then with little time left, McCall…
16
Memories of Manon (2)
Control's goddaughter is threatened with the death of her father, a Canadian agent, unless she can reveal his informant. Then with little time left, McCall…
17
Solo
McCall gets involved romantically and professionally with a woman wanted in Pennsylvania for killing a cop.
18
A Place To Stay
A young girl runs away from her quarreling parents and into the hands of a child pornographer.
19
Coal Black Soul
McCall is torn between a lovely psychiatrist and a man who calls and says he can't stop himself from murdering women.
20
First Light
While McCall is testifying in Washington, Scott tries his hand and looks for thugs harassing a local merchant.
21
Hand and Glove
Nightmares become a reality for an invalid woman when a threatening figures from her dreams appears in her room.
22
Re-Entry
McCall helps a young boy whose father was tricked into committing a crime.
SEASON 3
01
Blood & Wine (1)
McCall and a former terrorist, now a monk, are both searching for the monk's former partner, a terrorist who uses plastic surgery after each assignment…
02
Blood & Wine (2)
McCall and a former terrorist, now a monk, are both searching for the monk's former partner, a terrorist who uses plastic surgery after each assignment…
03
Suspicion of Innocence
McCall regrets persuading a young retarded friend of his into going to the police after he witnesses a murder; he's arrested for the crime.
04
In the Money
The trading on Wall Street gets a little rough; McCall and Mickey pull a half-drowned woman from the river after she gets in the way…
05
Encounter in a Closed Room
McCall tries to help a European defector free her parents from the KGB, who have kidnaped them to exert pressure on her to persuade another…
06
Mission: McCall (1)
Scott discovers that his father has been kidnapped by someone, and following his father's instructions, contacts an old Company colleague, Richard Dyson, who sets things…
07
Mission: McCall (2)
Scott discovers that his father has been kidnapped by someone, and following his father's instructions, contacts an old Company colleague, Richard Dyson, who sets things…
08
Shadow Play
McCall helps a fellow Intelligence officer stay alive despite someone's efforts to keep him from talking to a Congressional committee.
09
Inner View
A psychic can't convince the police that she has `seen' the next attack of a serial killer, so she turns to McCall for help in…
10
The Rehearsal
McCall and Kostmayer are caught with an acting company rehearsing a new work when a psychopath boobytraps the theater exits with bombs.
11
Christmas Presence
McCall asks Harley to help him handle a request for help from a six-year-old AIDS victim who is living with his grandmother and facing increasingly…
12
A Dance on the Dark Side
A police station switchboard operator overhears a detective discussing the murder of his former partner and goes to McCall for help when she receives threats…
13
The Child Broker
A young woman asks McCall to help her boyfriend break away from the control of a junior Fagin.
14
Video Games
A reporter's wife asks McCall to find her husband, who has disappeared while working undercover on a call-girl operation involving blackmail and the death of…
15
Something Green
The ex-wife of a European diplomat asks McCall to help her retrieve her son from his father before he can leave the country with the…
16
The Mystery of Manon (1)
Yvette Marcel asks her godfather Control and McCall for help dealing with her irrational father, who is intent on locating Manon, the mother she believed…
17
The Mystery of Manon (2)
Yvette Marcel asks her godfather Control and McCall for help dealing with her irrational father, who is intent on locating Manon, the mother she believed…
18
No Place Like Home
McCall comes to the aid of a recently dispossessed man and his family who has been moved in a welfare hotel and is facing pressure…
19
Last Call
A rapist being hunted by a mob assassin takes hostage Kostmayer, Pete and several customers.
20
Regrets Only
A young woman trying to start her life over faces continuing harassment from her upscale, professional husband who won't let her go but who is…
21
Target of Choice
A man fears for his life and that of his family when the murderer he helped put away is paroled and turns up living in…
22
Always a Lady
McCall's former protege at the Agency calls in a panic when she is apparently framed for the theft of a large amount of money from…
SEASON 4
01
The Last Campaign
The aide to an ambitious candidate for state senator discovers that her boss is blackmailing the incumbent into endorsing his candidacy.
02
Sea of Fire
A desperate high school principal calls on McCall for help in combating the gang responsible for the rape of a girl in the school gymnasium.
03
Riding the Elephant
McCall helps a Thai boxer and his girl friend extricate themselves from the clutches of a racketeer with old connections to McCall's former employers.
04
Eighteen With a Bullet
McCall and Mickey try to help a young rock singer escape from her greedy, immoral manager.
05
The Day of the Covenant
Scott learns first hand about the anti-apartheid movement when his girl friend becomes the target of a zealous Afrikaner who believes she's a terrorist.
06
Splinters
Mickey Kostmayer is captured when a Company operation fails, and he's turned against McCall using drugs and torture.
07
The Making of a Martyr
A gun control advocate whose husband was crippled by a stray bullet seeks McCall's help when she receives threatening phone calls.
08
The Sins of the Father
McCall reluctantly agrees to help the wife of a mobster find her kidnapped son, who's a pawn in a game of revenge against his father.
09
The Visitation
McCall's reunion with a former lover is interrupted when her medical skills are needed to deal with a deadly virus being carried by a pair…
10
Past Imperfect
An international crime cartel tries to use a man's estranged son against him when the man refuses to honor their wishes.
11
Trial By Ordeal
McCall becomes the defense counsel when a Company tribunal on charges of treason tries Control.
12
Silent Fury
McCall tries to help a young woman who is one of the victims of a series of robberies directed against the deaf community.
13
Lullaby of Darkness
McCall tries to help a woman and her daughter escape from her abusive husband.
14
17 Zebra
McCall investigates when a mission worker tells him about several winos who have died from heart attacks enroute to the hospital in paramedic ambulances.
15
Starfire
McCall tries to help a girl and her friend, a confused man who claims to an extraterrestrial being hunted by killers.
16
Time Present, Time Past
Scott is kidnapped along with a former Bulgarian agent McCall helped to defect ten years earlier, and later undergoes his baptism into his father's world…
17
Prisoners of Conscience
McCall's search for a kidnapped Chilean poet gets very intense when he learns the kidnapper killed his father many years ago.
18
The Caper
A cleaning woman works at cross-purposes to McCall as she tries to solve a murder she witnessed.
19
Heart of Justice
A bitter man tries to get revenge on the men who brutalized his wife but he calls McCall when someone else gets them first.
20
Race Traitors
McCall answers a call for help from Kostmayer's old neighborhood, where a racist group is harassing a black family.
21
Endgame
McCall helps two sisters whom are the victims of a revenge that has been plotted by a master strategy game player.
22
Suicide Squad
McCall comes to the aid of a college student who's lost his athletic scholarship and fears disappointing his parents, and turns to drug dealing as…
SERIES INFO
4
Seasons
88
Episodes
48 min/ep
Per Episode
Ended
Status
CREW
Creator
Richard Lindheim
Creator
Michael Sloan
NETWORKS (1)
CBS
DETAILS
First Aired
Last Aired
Status
Ended
Seasons
4
Episodes
88
Episode Length
48 min/ep
Language
English
Country
Rating
7.1/10 (64 votes)
Popularity
12
IMDB
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is The Equalizer about?
Robert McCall is a former agent of a secret government agency who is now running his own private crime fighting operation where he fashions himself as "The Equalizer." It is a service for victims of the system who have exhausted all possible means of seeking justice and have nowhere to go. McCall promises to even out the odds for them.
How many seasons does The Equalizer have?
The Equalizer has 4 seasons with 88 episodes total.
Who created The Equalizer?
The Equalizer was created by Richard Lindheim and Michael Sloan.
Who stars in The Equalizer?
The cast of The Equalizer includes Edward Woodward.
What is the rating of The Equalizer?
The Equalizer has a rating of 7.1 out of 10 based on 64 votes on TMDB.
Is The Equalizer still running?
The Equalizer has ended. The final episode aired on .
GENRES (3)
Action & Adventure
Crime
Drama
