The Equalizer

The Equalizer is an American action crime drama created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim that aired on CBS for four seasons and 88 episodes between 1985 and 1989. Edward Woodward stars as Robert McCall, a retired intelligence agent with a shadowy past who puts the skills of his former profession to work on behalf of ordinary people trapped in dangerous situations. Clients reach him through a newspaper advertisement, and he delivers justice as a kind of private avenger on the streets of New York.

Alongside helping strangers, McCall is periodically confronted by figures from his covert-operations past who either want to drag him back into that world or settle old scores with him. After its cancellation, the series grew into a cult classic and inspired a string of later works, including the feature films starring Denzel Washington and a reimagined television series launched in 2021.