CBS Picks Up ‘The Equalizer’ And ‘Silence Of The Lambs’ Reboots For Next Season

Published on May 13, 2020.

Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Two crime titles are officially getting picked up for another season!

First to receive the greenlight is Queen Latifah’s reboot of The Equalizer TV series. The actress, rapper, and former talk show host will star in a reimagining of the 1985 show with Edward Woodward which was later made into two films (in 2014 and 2018) starring Denzel Washington.

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Latifah will portray “an enigmatic woman with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn.” The series will also star Chris Noth, Lorraine Toussaint, Tory Kittles, Liza Lapira, and Laya DeLeon Hayes.

Another series coming to CBS is a reboot of the novel and 1991 Oscar-winning movie The Silence of the Lambs. The new series stars Rebecca Breeds (Pretty Little Liars). The Silence of the Lambs reboot is described as “a deep dive into the untold personal story of brilliant and vulnerable FBI Agent Clarice Starling as she returns to the field in 1993 six months after the events of The Silence of the Lambs.” The cast lineup includes Kal Penn, Nick Sandow, Michael Cudlitz, Lucca De Oliveira and Devyn A. Tyler. Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet will serve as producers. At this time, there are no details about who will portray the franchise’s iconic villain Hannibal Lecter.

The network also ordered a new comedy series form sitcom king Chick Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) along with Marco Pennette titled B Positive. The new series stars Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley) and Annaleigh Ashford (Masters of Sex) and centers around “a therapist and newly divorced dad who is faced with finding a kidney donor when he runs into a rough-around-the-edges woman from his past who volunteers her own. Together they form an unlikely bond and begin a journey that will change both of their lives.” The show will also star Kether Donohue, Sara Rue, and Kamryn Kunody. Additionally, James Burrows (Friends, Cheers) directed the show’s pilot.

No premiere dates for these shows have been announced.