Spoilers below for the Season 2 finale of Fox's Lethal Weapon.
It's been quite a complicated few weeks for Fox's Lethal Weapon and its now-former star Clayne Crawford. On the day of its Season 2 finale, the TV adaptation made headlines for parting ways with Crawford less than a month after the actor came under fire for reports of creating a hostile workplace environment. Seemingly by pure coincidence, that finale put Crawford's Martin Riggs on the wrong end of a potentially deadly cliffhanger, and all while Fox has been hesitant to announce any decisions about a potential Season 3.
Regardless of the background drama, "One Day More" was a hectic and action-packed hour of TV that seemed tailor-made to lead into a third season. Riggs' father Nathan pulled out all the stops with a botched attempt to kill Trish Murtaugh before he merely just kidnapped her and held her for a cool $2 million ransom; all this, as she discovered her coworker had been working with the malicious jerk. Riggs secured his half-brother Garrett to make a trade for Trish, which led to a father-and-son beach brawl that included Riggs' trailer getting blown up (along with Nathan's cronies), Riggs getting stabbed, Nathan suffering a huge head wound, and Murtaugh stepping up to save the day. But that wasn't even how it all ended.
In that attack's aftermath, Riggs was set to make a return to Texas, this time with Molly and her son (whom Nathan had threatened earlier in the episode). He cut ties with Dr. Cahill , and there was even a going away party thrown for him at the Murtaugh household, complete with other coworkers. Riggs then made a visit to Miranda's grave as a last stop before intending to scoop up Molly and son for the ride, and it proved to be his worst move of the episode. Garrett came out of nowhere and interrupted the peaceful goodbye by putting a bullet in Riggs' chest.
It would have been a hell of a cliffhanger even without Clayne Crawford's behind-the-scenes troubles, but the situation is worlds more complicated thanks to the actor's ousting, not to mention the reports that producers have been quickly looking to recast Riggs should Season 3 become a reality. At the time when Crawford's behavior was first reported, it was rumored that his presence on the show was hindering Fox's renewal decision. It's unclear if the alleged search for a new actor started then, or only when Crawford officially left, but fans are hoping for the best outcome.
Because the Lethal Weapon finale was written and filmed long before Clayne Crawford 's misconduct reports surfaced, it's extremely unlikely that Riggs' last-minute shocker was conceived as anything other than a meaty way to keep fans hooked, and to help its own Season 3 prospects. But now that all the dirty laundry has been aired, it does give the show the option to kill off Riggs and replace him with another tragedy-tinged wildcat whose bolts aren't screwed in all that tightly. Clearly, that would be a gigantic change for the Lethal Weapon franchise in general, which has always been about the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh. But if there's no one else out there capable of being a stellar replacement, it might be the only option. Maybe Thomas Lennon's Leo Getz is available?
For now, fans should stay tuned to hear what happens next for Lethal Weapon, and with the upfronts coming soon, Fox will almost definitely have an answer in the next week or so. In the meantime, head to our summer premiere schedule to see all the new and returning shows popping up soon.
