Another season of Lethal Weapon is coming to an end, and the show is in a similar state to where it was at the end of last season. Although there’s no cloud of controversy surrounding the alleged on-set behavior of one of the stars, the future of the series is uncertain, and there’s no guarantee of a Season 4 to follow the Season 3 finale on February 26. Lethal Weapon creator/showrunner Matt Miller revealed that the Season 3 finale sets up another season to follow:
The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, less so than in the previous 2 seasons, but it’s definitely a launch to where we want to go in season 4. Since we’ve already mapped out in detail what season 4 looks like, it will definitely be a bummer if we don’t get to tell that story.
Some shows that are in very real danger of cancellation choose to go a safe route with their season finales and deliver a certain degree of closure for fans. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. did it, although that show did wind up scoring a renwal. Lucifer very much did not do it, leaving fans frustrated up until news broke of the Netflix revival. Lethal Weapon is going the Lucifer route of ending on a cliffhanger despite the uncertain future.
At least Matt Miller’s comments to EW indicate that we probably don’t have to worry that one of the leads will be in a life-or-death scenario when the final Season 3 credits roll! Season 2 ended with Riggs in grave danger. As fans know, Lethal Weapon did kill him off via that cliffhanger, although only the folks behind the scenes know for sure how it would have been resolved if not for Fox’s need to oust Clayne Crawford.
If Lethal Weapon does score the renewal for Season 4, the fact that Matt Miller and Co. have already mapped out what’s to come is good news. A cliffhanger happening without anybody having a plan on how to resolve it can’t be a good thing, especially for a show as intense as Lethal Weapon.
A big question is of what that Season 4 would look like. Original co-lead Damon Wayans shocked fans earlier in Season 3 when he announced that he was leaving at the end of the season, citing health issues. Matt Miller took some time at the TCA press tour to elaborate on what was really going on with Wayans when he threatened to quit; notably, he didn’t state definitively whether or not Wayans would be back if the show returned for Season 4.
The show has presented some interesting ways for Murtaugh to take his leave without going the way of Riggs, but anything can really happen on Lethal Weapon. Could he be gone forever even if the show is renewed for Season 4? One star was confident that Lethal Weapon could survive without the legendary Murtaugh/Riggs dynamic. Could it survive without Murtaugh and Riggs?
Cole has been a fun new character and a solid replacement for Riggs, but it’s difficult to say if the character created for the TV show would be welcomed as the lead of a Lethal Weapon show. Murtaugh and Riggs brought name recognition; Cole is a newcomer.
Only time will tell what’s in store. The Season 3 finale of Lethal Weapon airs February 26 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Join me in crossing my fingers that the show scores a renewal for Season 4 sooner rather than later, and swing by our midseason TV premiere schedule for what you can watch once Lethal Weapon is done… for now.
