New Queen Latifah Drama The Equalizer Lands CBS’ Post-Super Bowl 55 Slot

CBS will also air post-Super Bowl editions of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, following late local news.

The Equalizer is a reboot of the ‘80s TV series, which later was turned into two films starring Denzel Washington. Latifah steps into the lead role as an anonymous guardian angel to the downtrodden.

The network settled on the new series for the prized post-Super Bowl slot—which routinely draws one of the biggest TV entertainment audiences of the year—despite the fact that freshman shows have traditionally failed to capitalize on that scheduling move.

Just two years ago, the last time CBS aired the Super Bowl, the network debuted a new reality competition series, The World’s Best, after the game. It was hosted by James Corden and featured Drew Barrymore, Faith Hill and RuPaul Charles, who judged a variety of global acts. Despite its big post-Super Bowl audience—it averaged 22.2 million viewers and a 7.0 rating in the 18-49 demo—The World’s Best quickly fell in the ratings and was canceled after one season.

Last February, Fox looked to avoid post-Super Bowl pitfalls by scheduling a hit series after the game—The Masked Singer—instead of trying to launch a new show. That show’s Season 3 premiere averaged 23.7 million total viewers and a 8.1 demo rating, and The Masked Singer ended last season as the No. 1 entertainment show in the 18-49 demo.

CBS has also settled on programming for after the AFC Championship Game two weeks earlier on Jan. 24: FBI will air. That will be followed by a special weekend edition of The Late Late Show With James Corden, after late local news.

“The Super Bowl and the AFC Championship Game in primetime is the ultimate combination to promote and showcase an episode of a highly anticipated new series, a rising procedural drama and our acclaimed late night franchises,” said CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl in a statement. “With these games and the Grammys, CBS will have the biggest audience events on television for three consecutive weeks in early 2021. I can’t think of a better way to start the new year or a better promotional environment for our midseason schedule.”