After a week of some mighty big cancellations for all the major networks -- and one very notable resurrection -- Fox has some good news for fans of Lethal Weapon, which has officially been renewed for Season 3. However, potentially bad news awaits viewers holding out hope that Clayne Crawford's Martin Riggs would be returning after the actor's ousting, as Lethal Weapon found a replacement co-lead with a more comedic background. Murtaugh will soon be partnered up with the American Pie franchise's Seann William Scott.
While details aren't the most plentiful this early on, Lethal Weapon Season 3 is happening, and Damon Wayans will be sharing the screen with a brand new face, and it's one that TV viewers aren't so used to seeing outside of watching movies on cable. Lethal Weapon will be Seann William Scott's first big broadcast network role, and he'll play a new character who "folds into a partnership" with Wayan's Murtaugh. So that definitely answers the question about whether or not the character of Martin Riggs himself was being recast.
On paper, Lethal Weapon's third season appeared imminent, but behind-the-scenes problems threatened to derail one of the more successful film-to-TV adaptations in the current era, with Clayne Crawford's reportedly foul workplace behavior causing on-set problems, which boiled over into him getting booted from the show. (Which he had the weirdest response to.) Thankfully on most fronts, Fox decided bringing Season 3 to fans was a far better option than ending things on such a wildly dramatic cliffhanger. Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched the Season 2 finale yet.
"One Day More" almost allowed Riggs to break free from his demons, particularly the ones in his bloodline, but before he could make his big trip with Molly and the kiddo, Nathan Riggs' tragedy-causing legacy struck one last time, with half-brother Garrett shooting Riggs and leaving him on death's door. There was at least a small chance that the producers might decide to bring another actor to take the Riggs mantle into Season 3, especially since it would seemingly be franchise blasphemy to kill off one of the two original characters. But if it's possible to play "Taps" using explosions, this would be the time to do it.
Seann William Scott has most recently seen on the big screen in a pair of highly anticipated sequels to cult comedy favorites, Goon: Last of the Enforcers and Super Troopers 2. And he's quite an interesting choice for Lethal Weapon. Depending on his character's backstory, the show could step in a completely different direction in Season 3, without a direct need for therapy sessions and grieving. Which obviously isn't necessarily a positive thing, since the show's dramatic side is what makes the stakes feel as real as they do. But I'm betting we'll see a different side of Scott than we've seen before, and Damon Wayans makes any pairing work, so there are plenty of reasons to stay positive.
The Lethal Weapon crew will have quite a busy summer as they reshape the comedic action-drama. Stay tuned to see what Fox's fall schedule will look like, and hit up our summer premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way in the coming months.
