The series is co-created by executive producers Lindheim, with Sloan, and Queen Latifah, who also stars as the titular character.

The series centers on Robyn McCall, an enigmatic woman in New York City and single mother to teenage daughter Delilah with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn, acting as a guardian angel and a defender for those who cannot defend themselves while pursuing her own redemption.

In November 2019, CBS announced that a reboot was in development with Queen Latifah in the lead role as Robyn McCall.

[14] In February 2020, it was announced that Liza Lapira and Lorraine Toussaint had been cast in the pilot's lead roles.

[18] On December 21, 2021, CBS and Universal Television announced Noth was terminated from the series after sexual assault allegations were made against him.

[2] On January 3, 2022, it was reported that Noth had made his last appearance in "Separated" due to allegations that he assaulted women in December 2021.

[19] On September 20, 2022, it was announced that Donal Logue and Gloria Reuben joined the cast in undisclosed capacities for the third season.

[citation needed] On May 19, 2020, a 30-second teaser featuring Queen Latifah explaining her involvement in the series was released by CBS.

The website's critical consensus states: "Queen Latifah returns to the small screen in full command of her craft—if only The Equalizer's overly-engineered early episodes were on her level.