Lethal Weapon has the ratings warranted for a third season; however, according to a report from Deadline today, Season 3 may never happen due to star Clayne Crawford’s “bad behavior.” The publication claims Crawford, who plays Martin Riggs opposite Damon Wayans’ Roger Murtaugh, has been difficult to work with throughout the show’s tenure, resulting in “several” incidences of discipline due to “complaints of emotional abuse and [Crawford] creating a hostile environment.”
The report goes on to say Crawford’s attitude has grown so negative that his cast mates and crew members feel “uncomfortable” on set.
“The problem is threatening the future of the show, with a recasting — a rare and dramatic move when involving a lead of an established series — being explored,” Deadline said.
Both Fox and Warner Bros TV, Lethal Weapon’s production company and distributor, declined to comment.
Deadline noted that Wayans has been essential to the series since the beginning, with his casting driving the pilot script’s approval in February 2016. Crawford, on the other hand, joined the TV adaptation later in its journey. Deadline said the actor was added to the show after a “lengthy search.”
Crawford is also no longer with the talent agency he was with when he was cast in the Lethal Weapon pilot.
If Fox does decide to close the door on Lethal Weapon Season 3, it will be saying goodbye to 6.9 million total viewers and a 1.7 rating among adults ages 18 to 49, according to the most recent numbers, as per Deadline.
When considering Lethal Weapon’s multi-platform numbers, the series reportedly averages 8.7 million viewers and is Fox’s second most-popular returning drama, after Empire.
Lethal Weapon is a TV adaption of the Lethal Weapon movie franchise, which comprised of four films 1987 to 1998 starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as two Los Angeles Police Department detectives.
A Lethal Weapon 5 was said to be in the works, but in February Richard Donner, who directed all four movies, said the film’s inception is unlikely due to Warner Bros. “doing their old-fashioned tricks” and its legal department’s “counterproductive negotiating,” ComingSoon.net reported.