Posted in: Fox, TV | Tagged: clayne crawford, Damon Wayans, entertainment, fox, HRL, lethal weapon, television

Could Bad Behavior Lead to Fox Cancelling Lethal Weapon?

As we move closer to the time when networks make their decisions on series renewals, Deadline is reporting that Fox's decision on their sophomore drama Lethal Weapon may not come down to the series' ratings. While the show is the better performer among the series between Fox and Warner Bros. TV, it looks like the problems stem from behind-the-scenes issues with actor Clayne Crawford. And these are apparently serious enough to make a third season a questionable decision.

The report says that Crawford, who plays former Texas cop and ex-Navy SEAL Martin Riggs, has a history of bad behavior that has led to him being disciplined several times over "complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment." The situation has reportedly escalated enough that other cast and crew members are said to be uncomfortable on the set with him and that the network is even considering recasting.

The series was sold based on Matt Miller's pilot script and the casting of Damon Wayans as Detective Roger Murtaugh. Crawford was added to the series a month after the show received a green light from Fox. The series is based on the original Lethal Weapon films starting Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

Ratings for the series have dropped almost 30% in the demo, but that is chalked up to the series being moved to a more competitive time slot, Thursdays at 8 p.m. The series averages a 1.7 in the demo and 6.9 million total viewers. That bumps up to 8.7 million when factoring in other platforms. It's the network's second-highest returning drama after Empire.

There has been no official response on the situation from Fox or Warner Bros. TV.

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