The Equalizer

Show name	The Equalizer
Caption	Equalizer Titles.
Format	Action / Crime
Runtime	60 minutes per episode
Creator	Michael SloanRichard Lindheim
Starring	Edward WoodwardRobert LansingKeith Szarabajkaet al.
Country	United States
Network	CBS, Syndicated
First aired	September 18, 1985
Last aired	August 24, 1989
Num seasons	4
Num episodes	88
List episodes	List of The Equalizer episodes

The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past. The show mixed ingredients from popular spy films and private investigator shows with violent realism.

Overview

The series stars British actor Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former secret agent of an unnamed organization, which was often referred to simply as "The Agency" or "The Company", who tries to atone for past sins by offering, free of charge, his services as a troubleshooter (often literally), a protector, and an investigator. People in need find him through a newspaper ad: "Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer." In the pilot episode (as he "opens for business"), we discover that the nickname "Equalizer" was bestowed on him by another operative, played by American comedian Jerry Stiller.

Aided by a group of sometimes-mysterious contacts (some of whom date back to his spying days), McCall traverses the streets of New York City, visiting justice upon hoodlums, rapists, racists, murderers, kidnappers, drug dealers, and other "truly deserving" people. His contacts are also prone to human foibles, ranging from egotism to domestic problems.

McCall himself is divorced, a "lost dad" long estranged from his son, Scott (William Zabka from The Karate Kid). Scott comes back into his life as a young adult, at first bitterly judgmental of his father's world, but who becomes drawn into that world to the dismay of both of his parents. McCall also lost a woman he was in love with named Manon Brevard and discovers that she had secretly given birth to his daughter.

Many episodes focus on McCall performing assignments for "Control" (played by Robert Lansing), the unnamed head of the secret organization for which McCall used to work. In later episodes, Richard Jordan joined the cast as fellow "equalizer" Harley Gage, in order to reduce the workload on Edward Woodward, who suffered a heart attack during the series. Robert Mitchum also filled in for Woodward during that time. Most of the time, McCall was aided by Mickey Kostmayer (Keith Szarabajka), a much younger agent who was more or less permanently lent to him by Control. There were a large number of cameo and occasional appearances by other known stars including Mark Margolis (who played another friend of McCall's), but as a general rule the people answering the newspaper ad were unremarkable, average, and unknown.

McCall's primary car was a Satin Black 1984 Jaguar XJ6 Series III. His car was upgraded to a 1986 model (third brake light) and later to the new 1988 body.

Notable guest stars

The show had quite a number of notable guest stars, many of whom became major stars within a few years of their appearances. Eight-year-old Macaulay Culkin appeared in one episode as a kidnap victim. Nine-year-old Melissa Joan Hart appeared as a young girl whom McCall protected from her ex-con father. Christian Slater appeared as a high-school student in the episode "Joyride". Kevin Spacey played a corrupt police officer. John Goodman played a single father who was tricked by co-worker Joe Morton into taking part in a robbery. Stewart Copeland, who composed the show's theme song, made a cameo as a pickpocket. Vincent D'Onofrio appeared twice in the series—the first time as an arsonist, and the second time as a mentally challenged young man, while William Converse-Roberts appeared twice, once as a murderer trying to save himself from prison by killing D'Onofrio's character and later as a widower out to silence a gun control advocate after his wife was raped and killed in front of him. Adam Ant played a villain in an episode that also featured David Alan Grier, Lori Petty, and Luis Guzman. Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys made a rare acting appearance in an episode alongside Alex Winter. Bradley Whitford appeared as a young thug who terrorized McCall and his son while they were on vacation. Melissa Sue Anderson played McCall's daughter by an old girlfriend. Shelby Anderson lent her singing ability as a lounge singer in an episode that also involved her giant panda, ZhenZhen.

Other future stars who appeared on the show included Laurence Fishburne, Patricia Clarkson, Jennifer Grey, Laurie Metcalf, Oliver Platt, Patricia Richardson, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Roma Maffia, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Moriarty, Chris Cooper, Michael Rooker, David Strathairn, Charles S. Dutton, Cynthia Nixon, Bruce Payne, Laura San Giacomo, Kasi Lemmons, Ving Rhames, Amanda Plummer, Daniel Davis, Jon Polito, Jasmine Guy, Mark Linn-Baker, Tony Shalhoub, and Stanley Tucci.

The series also made good use of its New York City setting by employing actors who were appearing on Broadway in the late 1980s as guest stars. These included Terrence Mann, Frances Ruffelle, Kevin Conway, J. Smith-Cameron, Philip Bosco, Caitlin Clarke, Josef Sommer, Jim Dale, Christine Baranski, and Anne Twomey.

Additionally, several former stage and screen co-stars of Edward Woodward appeared on the show. These included Brian Bedford, Tammy Grimes (real-life mother of the aforementioned Ms. Plummer), Gwen Verdon, Sandy Dennis, Jenny Agutter, Shirley Knight, and Sylvia Sidney. Harvard-educated Shakespearean theatre, Broadway stage, screen, and film actor Richard Jordan appeared as character Harley Gage in 10 episodes.

Woodward's second wife, Michele Dotrice, appeared as the central character in the season 2 episode, "Heartstrings." Her father, Roy Dotrice, was also a guest star on the show. Edward Woodward's son, actor Tim Woodward, appeared in one episode as McCall's father in a flashback scene.

Weapons and gadgetry

One of the notable weapons McCall uses is a ballistic knife that is capable of launching its blade. This is especially useful when he must surrender his gun to help a client or when his gun is lost in a fight. Other weapons range from pistols to machine guns. McCall's personal weapons cache is hidden behind the tool board on a wall of his apartment's workshop. He may be able to obtain more weapons through a variety of sources (pawn shops, gun shops, the Agency, or various contacts).

McCall's main weapon was a stainless steel Walther PPK/S with rubberized Pachmayr grips in .380 ACP caliber. In some episodes, McCall used also a Desert Eagle pistol, as well as the venerable Colt M1911-A1 pistol in .45 ACP. McCall was also seen using M1 Carbine and UZI-type weapons, such as the regular SMG and the pistol version. In three episodes, McCall was seen using an expensive Mauser 660 bolt action rifle with a telescopic sight, for accuracy work.

Music

The show's distinctive theme song became a hit for composer/performer Stewart Copeland, founder and drummer of the famous pop/rock New Wave band The Police. He was an appropriate choice, as both of his parents had intelligence connections. His father, Miles Copeland, Jr. was one of the founding members of the Office of Strategic Services, the World War II predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency, while his mother, Lorraine Copeland, worked with British military intelligence during that war.

In 1988, I.R.S. Records released the Stewart Copeland album The Equalizer & Other Cliff Hangers, which featured some of Copeland's Equalizer score. The fourth track, "The Equalizer Busy Equalizing", is an extended version of the show's main theme.

The original theme can be found on Television's Greatest Hits Vol.7-Cable Ready CD.

Episode list

DVD release

On February 12, 2008, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released Season 1 of The Equalizer on DVD in Region 1 (US only).

In Region 2, Universal Playback UK released season 1 on DVD on April 21, 2008.

Many fans have noted that the Region 1 version has had several of the originally used songs replaced. The Region 2 version, however, contains all of the original music uncut and intact.

Despite reasonable sales of the first season, there has been no word to date regarding DVD release of the remaining seasons.

Film Adaptation

In June 2010 it was announced that Russell Crowe was looking to bring The Equalizer to the big screen, with Crowe himself attached to play Robert McCall.

References

External links

The Equalizer Intro at YouTube

Coleman Luck's web page (he was The Equalizer writer and producer): http://www.colemanluck.com

Category:CBS network shows Category:1985 television series debuts Category:1989 television series endings Category:1980s American television series Category:Fictional detectives Category:Fictional secret agents and spies Category:Television series by NBC Universal Television Category:Edgar Award winning works Category:Espionage television series Category:Television shows set in New York City Category:Fictional vigilantes