Fox’s Lethal Weapon TV series will be sticking around for a while, having received a full season order.
When Fox unveiled Lethal Weapon on their primetime lineup, it wasn’t exactly the most auspicious event. After all, turning the 1980’s/1990’s action film series starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover into a serial procedural seemed like a doomed prospect; especially after CBS just recently axed its own similar adaptation attempt with Rush Hour. However, if the latest news is any indication, then Lethal Weapon might just live long enough to be “too old for this s**t.”
Fox has announced that Lethal Weapon will get a new lease on life with a full season order – well, “full” being a subjective term in this case. While the series debuted in September designated to have 11 episodes, the show’s Season 1 length will be extended by 7, yielding a total of 18 episodes. While that’s about 4-5 shy of a “full” season in the conventional sense, it will carry the series over the dreadful holiday season hump into 2017 territory, which is a promising sign for its Season 2 prospects.
The show, a creation of Matthew Miller (Forever, The 100, Chuck), stars Damon Wayans as the retirement-looming Roger Murtaugh opposite Clayne Crawford as the grieving, unhinged titular living “Lethal Weapon” himself, Martin Riggs, who adds a Texas drawl to Mel Gibson’s classic movie character. Interestingly, Lethal Weapon became Fox’s top-rated fall premiere in two years, bringing in an arresting 8.3 million viewers and a 2.3 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic. Thus, the series has been quietly establishing itself as a steady performer on Fox’s Wednesday night lineup with minimal post-premiere drops. Moreover, the official announcement by Fox Broadcasting President, Entertainment David Madden identified Lethal Weapon as a “solid companion” to its music-minded centerpiece drama Empire; a role that was likely a deciding factor in this full season order.
Lethal Weapon does seem to have effectively captured the crazed oil-and-water chemistry of the buddy cop quartet films directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black. Whether it can maintain that momentum within the context of a weekly procedural requiring long-term pacing and some treading of narrative water remains to be seen.
Lethal Weapon can be caught on Fox Wednesday nights.