THE EQUALIZER — 10 Unforgettable Episodes

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The 1980s was not New York City’s finest hour. Crime rates spiked, homicides reached historic highs, and a 1984 shooting by a man dubbed the “Subway Vigilante” only solidified the Big Apple’s rep as a lawless metropolis.

Into this world came The Equalizer in 1985. Created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, this hour-long action drama ripped its premise directly from tabloid headlines. Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) operated as an autonomous arbiter of street justice, circumventing an NYPD that was often portrayed as sluggish or mired in bureaucracy. “Got a problem? Odds against you? Call The Equalizer,” read the ad McCall placed in the newspaper. And, for four seasons, he did just that.

Often dismissed as a “vigilante show,” The Equalizer in fact bore little resemblance to the hyper-violent “lone justice” genre that had grown in popularity since Charles Bronson’s Death Wish (1974). In fact, it was a smartly written action drama that combined the crime-of-the-week procedural with a complex, unfolding mythology about McCall and his dark past at a CIA-like agency known as the Company. Lonely and remorseful, the fifty-ish Brit haunted the violent backstreets of Manhattan on a mission to help the helpless, while rebuilding a troubled relationship with his music student son (William Zabka of the Karate Kid films).

With an electronic score by Stewart Copeland of The Police, The Equalizer is remembered today as one of the hippest shows of the ‘80s. And the recent theatrical reboot films with Denzel Washington have renewed interest in the original — which now airs on getTV late nights! Here are ten episodes that will give you an overall understanding of the show.