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

The Equalizer was an American action-adventure television series which aired on the CBS Network between 1985 and 1989. It is currently airing on DirecTV channel 308 and Dish Network channel 198: Sleuth, as part of the regular daily line-up. It also airs in high definition on the Universal HD network. Image File history File links The_Equalizer. ... Edward Albert Arthur Woodward (born June 1, 1930 Croydon, Surrey) is an English stage, film and television actor and singer. ... Robert Lansing (R) as Gary Seven and Teri Garr Robert Lansing (b. ... Keith Szarabajka Keith Szarabajka was born on December 2, 1952, in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. He attended University of Chicago, as well as Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... CBS is derived from an abbreviation of Columbia Broadcasting System, the former legal name of a company Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired in 1995. ... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bill Dannenhauser was a professional wrestler better known as Dave Sullivan or The Equalizer. ... radio and United States. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A standard DirecTV satellite dish with 1 LNB on a roof DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service based in El Segundo, California, USA, that transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States and Latin America except for Mexico. ... DISH Network is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that provides satellite television and audio programming to households and businesses in the United States, owned by parent company EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH). ... Sleuth is a digital cable television channel with programming dedicated to the crime, mystery and suspense genres. ... High-definition television (HDTV) means broadcast of television signals with a higher resolution than traditional formats (NTSC, SECAM, PAL) allow. ... Universal HD, designed for HDTV, is a cable television network owned by NBC Universal. ...

Overview

The series starred British actor Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former CIA agent 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 found 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. Edward Albert Arthur Woodward (born June 1, 1930 Croydon, Surrey) is an English stage, film and television actor and singer. ... Secret Agent is a 1936 British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. ... Jerry Stiller (born Gerald Stiller on June 8, 1927) is an American comedian and actor. ...

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, bringing justice to hoodlums, racists, murderers, kidnappers, drug dealers and other truly deserving individuals. His contacts are also prone to human foibles, ranging from egotism to domestic problems. Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ...

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, and discovers that she had secretly given birth to a daughter by him. William Zabka in The Karate Kid. ... The Karate Kid is a 1984 John G. Avildsen film starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. ...

Many episodes focus on McCall performing assignments for "Control" (played by Robert Lansing), the unnamed head of a 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 production of the series; Robert Mitchum also filled in for Woodward during that time. Most of the time, McCall is aided by Mickey Kostmayer (Keith Szarabajka), who has been more-or-less permanently loaned 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. Robert Lansing (R) as Gary Seven and Teri Garr Robert Lansing (b. ... Richard Anson Jordan (July 19, 1938 – August 30, 1993) was an American stage, screen and film actor. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American film actor and singer. ... Keith Szarabajka Keith Szarabajka was born on December 2, 1952, in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. He attended University of Chicago, as well as Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. ...

Notable Guest Stars

The show had quite a number of notable guest stars. 8-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 as a 'mobster' (if that is the closest term) named Carmack, Adam Ant played a villain, and Vincent D'Onofrio appeared twice in the series, the first time as an arsonist. Melissa Sue Anderson also played McCall's daughter by an old girlfriend. Shelby Anderson lended her singing abilities 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, Lawrence Fishburn, Michael Moriarty, Telly Savalas and many others. Macaulay Carson Culkin (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor. ... Christian Slater (born Christian Michael Leonard Hawkins on August 18, 1969 in New York City) is an American actor. ... Jon Polito (born December 29, 1950) is an American actor, best known for working with the Coen Brothers. ... Adam Ant (born Stuart Leslie Goddard) is an English pop star, lead singer of 1980s New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later a solo artist. ... Vincent Phillip DOnofrio (born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and producer. ... Melissa Sue Anderson (born September 26, 1962) is an American actress best known as playing Mary Ingalls in the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie, which aired from 1974 until 1982. ... Binomial name Ailuropoda melanoleuca (David, 1869) Giant Panda range Subspecies A. melanoleuca melanoleuca A. melanoleuca qinlingensis The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) (black-and-white cat-foot) is a mammal classified in the bear family, Ursidae, native to central and southern China. ... Adam Keefe Horovitz, also known as King Ad-Rock or Adrock, (born October 31, 1966, in South Orange, New Jersey) is a rapper, musician, producer, and actor. ...

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 which was blatantly missing was 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.

Criticism

The series was criticized for its level of violence, although the character of McCall was made out to be sympathetic, on more than one occasion expressing regret at having to kill villains. 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. Callan was the title of a British action-adventure television series that aired on ITV broadcasters over four seasons spread out between 1967 and 1972. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

In 1987, writer David S. Jackson received an Edgar Award for his script for the second-season episode "The Cup". The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. ...

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. Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician. ... A drummer at practice A drummer is a musician who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Rock is a form of popular music with a prominent vocal melody accompanied by guitar and drums. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Police are a three-piece British rock band, which were strongly influenced by reggae. ...

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. I.R.S. Records was a record label, started in the US in 1979 by Miles Copeland III along with Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso. ...

Episode list

Season one

September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 2 is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 4th redirects here. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the Gregorian Calendar, December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years), at which point there will be 13 days remaining to the end of the year. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Season two

1. Prelude
2. Nocturne
3. A community of civilized men
4. Joyride
5. Shades of darkness
6. Nightscape
7. Counterfire
8. The line
9. Tip on a sure thing
10. The cup
11. Heartstrings
12. High performance
13. Beyond control
14. Carnal persuasion
15. Memories of Manon - part 1
16. Memories of Manon - part 2
17. Solo
18. A place to stay
19. Coal black soul
20. First light
21. Hand and glove
22. Re-entry

This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ...

Season three

1. Blood and wine - Part 1
2. Blood and wine - Part 2
3. Suspicion of innocence
4. In the money
5. Encounter in a closed room
6. Mission: McCall - Part 1
7. Mission: McCall - Part 2
8. Shadow play
9. Inner view
10. The rehearsal
11. Christmas presence
12. A dance on the dark side
13. The child broker
14. Video games
15. Something green
16. The mystery of Manon - Part 1
17. The mystery of Manon - Part 2
18. No place like home
19. Last call
20. Regrets only
21. Target of choice
22. Always a lady

Season four

1. The last campaign
2. Sea of fire
3. Riding the elephant
4. Eighteen with a bullet
5. The day of the covenant
6. Splinters
7. The making of a martyr
8. The sins of the father
9. The visitation
10. Past imperfect
11. Trial by ordeal
12. Silent fury
13. Lullaby of darkness
14. 17 Zebra
15. Starfire
16. Time present, time past
17. Prisoners of conscience
18. The caper
19. Heart of justice
20. Race traitors
21. Endgame
22. Suicide squad

Trivia

• 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 hitman, 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 hitman believes to be God. The pilot episode of "Matrix" dramatized that monologue and used it as its premise.

• 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 Royal Navy. If it was the navy it would be the SBS.

The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...

Quotes

External links

• [2] -A direct link to the theme tune at YouTube.com