And down those mean streets, The Equalizer practiced his own brand of justice. Dark, moody, filled with danger, it was as much a player in the show as McCall himself. And then there was New York City itself, certainly a major character in those high-crime years. There were a number of NYPD cops who came and went, including those played by Ron O'Neal and Eddie Jones. There was the shadowy figure of "Control," played by Robert Lansing. The Equalizer has its share of quirky characters and semi-regulars.
(I remember reading back when that James Coburn was originally slated for the role of Robert McCall, but backed out at the last minute and Woodward was cast instead.) Mitchum would have been ideal in this role, too again, not the typical casting. Richard Jordan joined the cast as a disgruntled former CIA operative, but the producers also persuaded Robert Mitchum into starring in a 2-part story where he teamed with McCall's son to hunt down the missing Equalizer. Around half-way through the show's run, Woodward had a heart attack and was replaced for a time by 2 actors. Woodward elevated the show by his very presence.īut he wasn't always there.
His urbane, cultured Robert McCall lent a totally different feel to the character, a gravitas that would be missing if, say, Robert Urich or Tom Selleck (other famous 80s crime show stars) had the role. Woodward, who was in his mid-50s at the time, had just come off a bravura role in a popular Australian film import, Breaker Morant. Instead of some young, macho guy, they went against type and cast the British actor Edward Woodward.
Starting in 1985 and continuing for 87 episodes into the summer of 1989, this New York City based series about a former CIA agent turned vigilante had a creepy opening that showed people in harrowing situations and a lurking man with a gun, ostensibly out to save them.īut the coolest thing about The Equalizer was its off-kilter casting.
If ever there was a TV show that summed up all of our late 80s urban paranoia, it was The Equalizer.