Fox has announced that its TV series Lethal Weapon, an adaptation of the once-popular film franchise, has been cancelled. After a tumultuous first two seasons led to the firing of co-lead Clayne Crawford, the show started a troubled third season that saw a significant drop off in viewership. When news broke that Damon Wayans, the other co-lead, would be quitting, it was likely an easy decision for Fox to end the action comedy.
During its initial season, Crawford played the role of Martin Riggs while Wayans portrayed Roger Murtaugh. While their chemistry never quite watched the likes of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, the show was at least somewhat comparable to the film franchise that it spawned from. With the departure of Riggs, though, there really was no way that Lethal Weapon could have ever recovered, even if Wayans decided to stay attached.
As Variety reports, the third season brought in an average rating of 0.71 in its key demographic, which was almost a 30% decrease from season two’s 1.0 average. That is still nothing compared to the drop off witnessed after the first season, which brought in ratings of 1.57. It seems like the show was just never going to capture the audience it once had, regardless of what happened on and off camera.
‘Lethal Weapon‘ Canceled After Three Seasons at Fox [Variety]
