It was one of the iconic movie franchise titles of the 80s’ and 90s’. But has ‘Lethal Weapon‘ made a successful transition to the small screen? Mike Leeder reviews the pilot…
There’s been talk of a potential fifth Lethal Weapon movie (or a reboot) since the release of the fourth film in 1998, but for various reasons (not least original star Mel Gibson’s fall from grace) it never happened until now with the debut of a new adaptation of Lethal Weapon for the small screen. Not a movie, then… but an entire series.
Following the accidental death of his wife and unborn baby, former Navy Seal-turned-cop Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford) is re-assigned to Los Angeles, and partnered with senior detective Roger Murtaugh. Murtaugh is celebrating his 50th Birthday and his return to work after a near fatal heart attack. The mismatched couple must work together and solve what appears to everyone else, an open and shut case of suicide, But will their mutual respect for the law or their very different approach to risk-factors win out. Solving the case could either form an unlikely bond between the two men or have teach trying to kill the other one.
I’m a huge fan of the first Lethal Weapon movie – less so of the following three – so when I first heard about them rebooting it for the small screen, I wasn’t enthused, especially after the recent mishandling of the Rush Hour transfer to the small screen (where they tried so hard to get the cast to emulate the original actors they had no chance to succeed). But with the announcement that Clayne Crawford from Rectify would be playing the role of Riggs, and Damon Wayans from The Last Boy Scout would play Murtaugh, I have to admit I thought maybe this has some legs.
The result is interesting. The pilot, directed by McG, could actually have done with being a 90 minute length, as we’re not really given a chance for the two leads to have any natural bonding. They meet, they dislike each other and then far too suddenly they are backing each other up and having dinner together. That being said, there’s some nice action beats, some nice comedy and the hint at what might be coming down the line – all stuff I really liked.
Clayne Crawford delivers an interesting take on Martin Riggs that brings back something of the feel of the character as originally played in Lethal Weapon. He’s edgy, he’s hurt, he lives in a trailer and he needs something to keep himself from ending it all. Damon Wayans does seem to be channeling the honest but slightly bumbling Roger Murtaugh from later chapters – there’s something about that works and has me hoping the series gets the time to build the relationships. (SPOILER: in the finale the mild mannered Murtaugh is suddenly a highly skilled driver and sharp shooter, which perhaps would have worked better if in an earlier chase he seemed so out of his depth!) But there’s something about it that promises so much more……
The supporting cast which includes Jordanna Brewster (Fast and Furious) as no doubt a potential love interest for Riggs and Keesha Sharp as Mrs Murtaugh, along with Kevin Rahm as Captain Avery and Johnathan Fernandez as Scorsese the Coroner. They are all good and though this pilot is merely an introduction to our cast, it also hint at potential developments in the episodes to come.
This is a show that could have done with a proper feature length or two episode pilot, to flesh out the story and build the relationship. Its riffing on the original but – to give it its due – is not trying to be a carbon copy. Here’s hoping the series gets to deliver at least a full season to explore these characters more fully…
8/10
Lethal Weapon debuted on America’s FOX Network on Wednesday 21st September. It will be broadcast in the UK by ITV, though no air-date has been confirmed.
