On The Air: Lethal Weapon (2016)

"Lethal Weapon" turns 30 in March. Warner Bros. couldn't wait, and managed to land a small screen reimagining of the film series on Fox.

I can recall seeing only one or two of the original movies with Mel Gibson & Danny Glover. One in the theatre, one on home video. Neither was the first film, on which the series opener was based. I am not entirely familiar with Clayne Crawford, a relative newcomer who fills Gibson's gumshoes as Martin Riggs, a military veteran who's despondent and considering suicide after the death of his pregnant wife, who was killed in an auto accident en route to the hospital. From what I could see, there was potential for this series, but it's just on the wrong night. I get that Fox was looking for a reasonable lead-in to its 3rd year series, Empire, but this isn't it.

Damon Wayans (ex-My Wife & Kids, In Living Color) has previously proven he can handle a comedy-drama hybrid (i.e. "The Last Boy Scout", "Bulletproof"), and is perfectly cast as Roger Murtaugh. Viewers will warm up to him, due to his previous series.

A quick check of recent ratings shows that Weapon is already losing viewers, and it hasn't been pre-empted yet for baseball. I don't like that downward trend.

Scope the trailer, and tell me what you think.



Funny thing is, Shane Black, who created the "Weapon" movie series, is not listed as an executive producer or consultant. Bad sign? Maybe.

Rating: C.