Riggs and Murtaugh’s are some big shoes to step into but that’s exactly what Fox’s new Lethal Weapon TV show – picked up this month for a full season aims to do. Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford) and Roger Murtaugh (Damon Wayans, Sr. - yup, you got old) are the fast-mouthed, odd-couple pair we know and love, only not nearly as much as before. Check out the new trailer for a closer look.
It’s got some of the things you might expect from a Lethal Weapon TV reboot – hare-brained stunts, chases, shootouts, sarky police patter, dinner with Mrs. Murtaugh – and a fair few things you’d kinda hope to avoid. Clunky dialogue (“This man is out of control!”) and crass flashbacks feature strongly there.
McG (Charlies Angels, Terminator Salvation) directed the pilot, and is excecutive producing the series; he spoke to us about the show back in March, admitting that "it's extremely tough doing this," and that he hoped to get Lethal Weapon right "or I'm going to feel sick about it for a very long time".
This time out, Riggs is mourning a wife he lost to a traffic accent. The maverick ‘tec may be a bit young for Vietnam, but he’s still wearing those trademark neuroses on his sleeve, albeit without much sign of Mel Gibson’s crazy-eyed intensity. Murtaugh is, well, too old for this shit. So, potentially, are we.
If you're in the US, you can catch Lethal Weapon on Wednesdays during Fox's fall schedule.
Empire’s ‘80s month, meanwhile, is celebrating the real deal with a classic reunion of its stars and director. Don't miss it.