The Equalizer
Equalizer Titles.
Format	Action / Crime
Created by	Michael Sloan Michael Lindhelm
Starring	Edward Woodward Robert Lansing Keith Szarabajka et al.
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	88 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	60 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS, Syndicated
Original run	September 1985 – August 1989
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Equalizer is an American action-adventure television series which was initially broadcast on the CBS Network between 1985 and 1989.

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 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 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 judgemental 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), 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, but as a general rule the people answering the newspaper ad were unremarkable, average, and unknown.

McCall's primary car was a dark green 1984 Jaguar XJ6 Series III

Notable Guest Stars

The show had quite a number of notable guest stars. Eight-year-old Macaulay Culkin appeared in one episode as a kidnap victim, and Christian Slater appeared as a high school student in the episode "Joyride". Jon Polito played a mobster named Carmack. Adam Ant played a villain. Vincent D'Onofrio appeared twice in the series -- the first time as an arsonist, and the second time as a mentally challenged young man. Melissa Sue Anderson played McCall's daughter by an old girlfriend. Shelby Anderson lent her singing ability as a lounge singer in a very notable episode that also involved her giant panda, ZhenZhen. Additionally, Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys, John Goodman, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Moriarty, Sylvia Sidney, Telly Savalas, Quentin Crisp, Steve Buscemi, Ilan Mitchell-Smith and many others appeared in episodes.

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).

One feature of "spy genre" shows that was blatantly missing was a reliance on unusual gadgetry, disguises, and similar diversions. In nearly every case, the hardware was off-the-shelf, commonly available on the open market. In this way, it was unlike most other spy series.

McCall's main weapon was a stainless steel Walther PPK.

Fast-Paced Action and Violence

The series was criticized by some for its level of violence, although the character of McCall was made out to be sympathetic. On more than one occasion he expressed regret at having to kill villains in the series. In this respect, combined with the fact that McCall still finds himself under the thumb of the organization he sought to leave, suggests that this series was also strongly influenced by Woodward's similarly themed series Callan, which ran from 1967 to 1972.

In 1987 writer David S. Jackson received an Edgar Award for his second-season script "The Cup."

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.

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.

Episode List

Main article: List of The Equalizer episodes

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The series was parodied on the popular but short-lived Saturday-morning kids' show Flip! (TV series) with "The Get-Even Guy," an otherwise-nameless teenager in a trench coat with a British accent (affected, of course) who regularly defends hapless youngsters from obnoxious gym-teachers, unscrupulous video-store clerks, and the like.

• In an example of life imitating art: the filming of an episode about wedding reception guests being held hostage had to be paused because there was police action across the street... at a wedding reception.

• During the height of the show's popularity, actor Edward Woodward was often approached on the street by people in need, with situations similar to those depicted in the show. He began carrying flyers with the phone numbers of social services organizations and legal clinics for them to contact.^[1]

• McCall is seen to have a dog in the pilot episode, but not in the regular series.

• A monologue from the episode "Sea of Fire" was later used as the premise of the Canadian-made action-adventure series Matrix. In the episode, McCall scares a gang straight by taking them to the morgue. He introduces them to a hit man, from McCall's old life, who tells of a near-death experience he had where he woke up on a beach next to a sea of fire, surrounded by all the people he had killed and one other who the hit man believes to be God. The pilot episode of Matrix dramatized that monologue and used it as its premise.

• Eddie Jones plays Lt. Brannigan, sharing the name with the "antagonist" from the musical Guys and Dolls.

• McCall has a British father and an American mother. Prior to being recruited by the CIA he served with the Special Air Service (SAS) elite special forces of the British Army.

Quotes

"Do you know what I do for a living? I KILL people". (McCall to a dinner date lady friend)

References

1. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088513/trivia

External links

• A direct link to the theme tune at YouTube.com
• Jump The Shark - The Equalizer

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