Tory Kittles Speaks out on ‘The Equalizer’ Cancellation

Tory Kittles is speaking out about The Equalizer’s surprising cancellation.

CBS axed the Queen Latifah-led series on May 2, just days before the Season 5 finale.

Kittles portrayed Detective Marcus Dante, who got engaged to Latifah’s Robyn McCall in the finale. The actor took to Instagram on May 4, the day the finale aired, to reflect on the show and thank those who have watched. “Going out with a bang! Thank you to all who made these five seasons a success,” Kittles wrote. “Especially the fans who showed so much love. Dante, out.”

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His on-screen fiancée also spoke out about the cancellation on May 3 with a heartfelt post on Instagram, writing, “Stepping into a kick-ass role like Robyn was everything I hoped it would be. Shakim and I at Flavor Unit are always excited to bring these kinds of roles and projects to life—and then we just hope you love them as much as we do. The Equalizer blew past every dream we had for it, and having the opportunity to do this for five seasons honestly feels surreal.”

“Thank you to our amazing cast, crew, and producers and writers! And I can’t say enough about the FANS!” she continued. “Y’all have been so loyal, so loud, and so ride-or-die—and that’s exactly why we keep doing this. We can’t thank you enough. It means the world to us.”

The Equalizer was the last remaining show on CBS’ current lineup still awaiting its fate. The longer the wait, the less likely a renewal would be, since the network’s schedule was quickly filling up. CBS also had to move Matthew Gray Gubler’s new series, Einstein, to the 2026-27 season since there wasn’t any room. The Equalizer joins fellow canceled scripted shows Blue Bloods, S.W.A.T., FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International, and Poppa’s House, as well as unscripted freshman competition series The Summit.

Fans aired their frustrations over The Equalizer’s cancellation when news broke, and considering the brutal cancellations that CBS has already handed out, they were not happy. Cancellations are never easy, but it wouldn’t be surprising if this isn’t the last time that the cast works together, because they were certainly special. If anything, five seasons may not seem like a lot, but in this day and age, it is. All episodes are streaming on Paramount+.