‘Lethal Weapon’ Preview: Can Murtaugh Stop Riggs From Going Down a ‘Rabbit Hole’?
When he first embarked on the bold — and potentially foolhardy — mission of remaking the ’80s action classic Lethal Weapon, for television, executive producer Matt Miller received a crucial piece of wisdom from the film’s director, Richard Donner. Miller shared that piece of wisdom with Yahoo TV when we spoke with him prior to the show’s debut last fall: “Richard told me, ‘You gotta make sure you have the right guys. You don’t have the guys, you don’t have a show.'”
Fast-forward six months, and it’s become very clear that Miller definitely found the right guys to play two of L.A.’s most famous fictional cops, family man Roger Murtaugh and his wild man partner Martin Riggs. Danny Glover and Mel Gibson originated those roles in Donner’s 1987 film and portrayed them in three subsequent sequels. But as far as the show’s sizable fanbase is concerned, Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford are Murtaugh and Riggs.
“I do think that one of the things that has worked for people is that they watch the show and forget about Danny Glover and Mel Gibson,” Miller says as Lethal Weapon prepares to end its successful freshman season as one of the few recent movie-to-TV translations to score a second year. “With Damon and Clayne’s chemistry and what they’re going through [onscreen], it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the roles [on TV] but them.” Miller says that he’s heard through the grapevine that at least one-half of the original Riggs & Murtaugh team is equally satisfied with their replacements. “I did hear that Mel was approving of the show; that’s secondhand, though. I haven’t spoken to him. I know that Richard Donner has spoken to [executive producer] Dan Lin and really likes the show.”
Crawford and Wayans get another chance to show off their chemistry in the season finale, “Commencement,” which airs tonight at 8 p.m. on Fox. Following directly on the heels of Karen Palmer’s revelation that Riggs’s beloved wife Miranda may have been targeted for assassination by ex-CIA-spook-turned-cartel enforcer Gideon Lyon (Matt Passmore), the dangerously on-edge cop comes very close to being pushed over that edge. And while Murtaugh tries to pull him back, this time his efforts may not be enough. “Riggs does things in the finale that I don’t think he thought he was capable of doing,” Miller teases. Based on early trailers for “Commencement,” those lines appear to include kidnapping and possible torture as Riggs prepares to go full Jack Bauer in making Gideon pay for Miranda’s death … whether he’s guilty of the crime or not. “He’s taking matters into his own hands, and going for a form of revenge. He gets to a place where he’s as close to the line as possible. Can he still be a cop?”
Riggs’s potentially criminal actions are obviously going to dismay a straight-arrow like Murtaugh. Miller confirms that the always-tenuous friendship between the two cops is pushed to its breaking point by the episode’s events, especially when Roger finds himself having to choose between his partner and his family. “Part of Murtaugh’s season-long arc is that he was a guy who was scared of life, and he ended up being paired with someone who forced him to confront death on a weekly basis. Now he’s realized that he feels most alive when that’s happening. At the same time, he doesn’t want to follow his partner down that rabbit hole. Riggs does some things that put into question whether they can even work together anymore.”
Don’t worry, though: Neither Wayans nor Crawford is going anywhere. But do expect their universe to grow outward with new friends and foes as Lethal Weapon heads into its sophomore year. “We’re very proud of Season 1, so with Season 2, it’s not about correcting anything so much as taking this world and expanding on it. Because when you think back on the season, there are amazing stunts, but the moments that resonate most strongly are the emotional moments between the characters.”
One emotion that you can expect to see more of from Riggs in subsequent seasons is love. Not just love for his partner and his partner’s family, but potentially a new love interest. Until she dropped the bombshell about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death, Palmer seemed to be a possible candidate for Riggs’s return to the world of romantic relationships. Miller confirms that the two almost-lovebirds are now in a “not-great place” but hints at other relationship developments to come. One assumes that he’s cleared those developments with his leading man, who has previously expressed his strenuous disinterest in rushing Riggs into any romantic entanglements. “If he gets better by the end of the season, we’re done,” Crawford told Yahoo TV last September. “Falling in love and living happily ever after while solving crimes is bulls***. I don’t want him in a good place, because his storyline is that he doesn’t care.”
Miller similarly feels that you can’t hurry love for Riggs. But at the same time, he recognizes that the movies have left him with a clear road map to follow. “The first movie was about a guy mourning the death of his wife; in the second, third, and fourth movies he evolved from that. We did 18 episodes of a guy mourning the death of his wife, and I think to make that be the mythology in Season 2 would be a mistake. He’s not going to ever be healthy or overcome it, but you’ve got to create new obstacles and mythologies. And that’s what we’re going to dig into in Season 2.”
The Season 1 finale of Lethal Weapon airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Fox. Watch clips and full episodes of Lethal Weapon for free on Yahoo View.
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