The Equalizer was canceled after five seasons, leaving fans of the Queen Latifah-led series disappointed. Many have taken to signing a petition to save the show, though CBS execs seem to feel confident that axing The Equalizer was the right decision, even if it was a difficult one to make.

Per Deadline, CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach has addressed giving the boot to The Equalizer, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International. Reisenbach stressed how the network was facing a plethora of "options" for shows to keep on the schedule moving forward, but the problem is that there were only so many slots to fill. Ultimately, "tough decisions" had to be made, and The Equalizer and the FBI shows were deemed to be the ones to go.

“It’s not easy to end shows and we had a lot of options this year,” Reisenbach said. “The schedule is really full and so we always have to look at all of our shows, , and then we make those tough decisions.”

In the case of FBI, Reisenbach teased the new offshoot that will help fill the void of the two spinoffs getting canceled. As she said, "We love working with Dick Wolf and we’re so excited to bring CIA onto the schedule. We have to be fiscally responsible and ultimately, those deals and the shows just weren’t penciling out for us from an economic perspective. But we want to be in the business with Dick. We’re excited to launch a new two-hour block next season.”

There are no plans for The Equalizer to be shopped elsewhere at this time by Universal Television, so there's a good chance that Sunday's episode, which was the Season 5 finale, will serve as the last episode ever. However, fans are not giving up on the show just yet. A new petition was launched on Change.org for fans to help convince the network to reverse the decision. As of this writing, the total signature amount is approaching 1,500, and it remains to be seen just how much this will grow as the petition spreads. If enough noise is made, it's not impossible that CBS will renew The Equalizer after all, as the network has done as much in the past with other shows.

"We urge CBS and any potential streaming platform to consider reviving The Equalizer due to its meaningful cultural and societal impact," the petition description reads in part. "Bringing this series back, would not only entertain and inspire audiences, but also continue to highlight on real world issues through its powerful storytelling."

The petition can be signed at Change.org.

Source: Deadline, Change.org