

Obviously, Robyn McCall could handle this in two seconds - and she was mad and ready to - but this was something where McCall had to be a niece and not the Equalizer. And we got such a huge reaction to that, because it covered multiple generations, it was layered and nuanced, and it continued through the show. We spent a lot of time talking with the writers about what that experience is like, and why should stand there and call the police, and why is within her right to press charges. But because Delilah filmed it, she was able to show what really happened. One of the strongest shows I think we have had was what we call “The Karen Show,” when Aunt Vi was assaulted by a white woman in a store and the white police officers who arrived on scene - because decided to call the police - believed the white woman initially. They really get a little heated about that. Well, they love the relationship between Dante and myself, of course. What is something audiences have attached themselves to that surprised you? This show doesn’t shy away from difficult subject matter - racism, sexual harassment and police use of excessive force - and is more about life in general, than featuring a bad guy of the week. On our own set, we try to make our world a better place, which is what we’re also trying to do for our audience, and try to come up with creative ways to entertain the audience. It’s important for us to collaborate as producers, writers, showrunners - every part of our crew and our cast has something to offer and to treat each other with respect is important. Unfortunately, some things are never made right, but we try.īut the collaboration is important.

That does happen in real life, believe it or not, but we don’t often get to see it, so here’s an opportunity to show it on a regular basis, and some of the difficulties that it requires in order to make things right. And there’s not a lot of shows on TV that are doing that. They need to see their stories told and to see the good guys win, and, in this case, the good gal. Telling these stories is very, very important because we’re representing people who really need to see some justice met. Now that you have two seasons under your belt, what is the lesson that you’re taking into Season 3? Read on as Latifah discusses the real-world impact of the show, some of her favorite episodes and what the recently dated “Equalizer 3,” starring Denzel Washington, could mean by way of a future crossover. The emotional turmoil continues to ratchet up as the season speeds toward its end when her ex-husband and Delilah’s father (Stephen Bishop) begins to question the nature of her work and their daughter’s safety in her care. The Season 2 finale airs on May 15 as McCall continues to navigate the blurring lines between her family life and her vigilante work as she reels from the death of her CIA mentor (who was played by Chris Noth) at the hands of her criminal nemesis Mason Quinn and struggles with guilt over her daughter Delilah (Laya DeLeon Hayes) and Aunt Vi (Lorraine Toussaint) having to keep her secrets. “I think we’ve managed to do it, but we can always get better.” We can’t do many of the things that other shows can do, so we have to really maintain a high level of quality,” she explained. “We have to compete with a lot of different sources. Part of Latifah’s competitive drive comes from understanding the limitations of network television, and the type of content the show can air for the masses.
