The television adaptation of Lethal Weapon has been cancelled and will not be returning for Lethal Weapon Season 4. The series starring Damon Wayans as Roger Murtaugh and Clayne Crawford as Martin Riggs ran for three seasons on Fox Network.
Off-screen tensions
Although the series was largely well received by the audience and critics alike, there had been plenty of behind-the-scenes drama between its stars. The two leads could hardly see eye-to-eye despite their positive on-screen chemistry. Some sources said that by the end of its second season, they were not even on speaking terms.
The result of the stand-off was not particularly good for Crawford. His character was killed off at the end of the second season and replaced by a new character for the third, played by Sean William Scott.
Dwindling Ratings
After Scott came on board, viewership of the show saw a steep decline. This was after season 2 had already seen lowered ratings compared to the earlier episodes. There were also reports that Wayans wasn’t willing to continue on after the third season because of his health.
It is understandable for Fox to cancel the show as the dwindling ratings and backstage drama continues.
Fox’s Reaction on Lethal Weapon Season 4 Cancellation
Fox CEO, Charlie Collier responds to the questions about the cancellation of the show, stating that it is a “tough choice” to make yet necessary call in the quest to become the number one network.
He refrained from directly answering whether the off-screen drama played a role in the call. Instead, he again insisted that the decision was driven by a commitment to grow and invest in the future.
