Lethal Weapon in the Media: "Well, I got news for you, Rog: I'm not crazy."

[weathered1]

This is all so incredibly disappointing. The rapport these actors had in the first season was just stellar; to devolve from that point to this is just...awful. (And infuriating - I absolutely agree with that.) 

Riggs did have the vision in the last episode of an explosion in the Murtaugh kitchen, so it wouldn't be surprising if the season finale tonight ends with some kind of explosion or we hear a gunshot or something like that; of course, that would be more useful if they were just going to end the character. Since they're supposedly trying to recast, I can easily see them dealing with the change in appearance next season (if there is one) with a meta joke or two and then being done with it. 

Recasting, though, is going to be so difficult - not only does the actor have to tackle the ins and outs of the character, but the chemistry with Wayans has to be absolute perfection if they have any hope of moving forward successfully with this. I thought the initial casting was pretty much lightning in a bottle territory, so the odds of them being able to do that again.... 

I do think they're going to give that a real shot, though, at least in terms of trying to find somebody; otherwise, I'm not sure they'd even be mentioning the idea of a recast at all - they'd just say Crawford was out and the show is done. It's a risky proposition, though, but at least the other actors and crew members aren't without jobs (at least not yet). This would allow them a chance to capitalize on season one's potential and to perhaps explore some more of the noteworthy movie plots and characters.

Another possibility is that they do try to find a recast but can't, so the show ends anyway. That would also be a good excuse for the studio and/or network to end it - they could just say they tried and it didn't work, and it would be too costly a proposition to move forward.

And I do wonder what happens to Crawford's career. These are serious issues and being booted from a lead role in a show like this is not a small thing. 

The bottom line for me, at any rate, is that it's all just sad (and unnecessary, stupid, infuriating - there's that word again - shameful, and ridiculous) in every sense of the word. 

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, nitrofishblue said:

Don't recast the role. Bring in a new character that is completely different than the Riggs character

I disagree. No Riggs character? End it. This isn't some generic buddy cop show. This is Lethal Weapon. And, to me, that franchise, for better or worse, is Riggs and Murtaugh.

[catrice2]

I can't see having a show without Riggs.  I personally did not always appreciate this version of the character as I think they played him a little crazier than I remember the Riggs in the movie.  It is not clear to me if he and Wayans fixed their issues, but if they didn't I understand not wanting to continue a set where people are miserable and not talking to each other. 

I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until he got on social media.  I know it is not for me to judge, but I do form opinions of people based on how they use social media!  

I didn't watch until a few episodes into this season and was surprised at home much I like the show.....but then again nothing else is on and I got tired of watching Law and Order reruns....

[Anela]

No matter what's happened, it would be shitty to find out that you've been fired, through gossip sites, and not directly, before word is out. 

[Irlandesa]

I wonder if we'll hear more about what went on because it definitely is an extreme choice to get rid of him. 

But after tonight's show,

Spoiler

It definitely didn't feel like they were planning to recast the role but rather get rid of the role.  He wasn't shot in the face.  And I remember the creator saying he had a really dark ending in mind for Riggs (suicide) but getting killed by his brother when he was about to be happy would be a dark ending for him.

[Twilight Man]

so............... what to do, what to do,

#1  introduce a new relative,  like Bret Maverick's cousin Bart, or Chrissy Snow's cousin Cindy or Edna Garrett's cousin or Valerie Hogan's sister or .............

(come on people, you can think of more)

#2  since this is a workplace, introduce a suspicious similiar (or not) substitute --  Cheers, Charlie's Angels, The Profiler, The Equalizer, CHIPS, Stargate, ............

(once again, I'm just getting started, I'm sure you people have a lot more as well)

#3

Quote

They could always go with the tried and true soap opera method shoot Riggs in the face and have him wake up a few episodes later "a changed man"

 They also replaced the original Lone Ranger with Clayton Moore (of course, the mask helped)

and then there was Due South where Ray V. was replaced with Ray Kowalski who everybody pretended was Ray V. because, well, you just had to watch the show.

and let's not forget the two Darrins and the two Beckys.

(This is fun, how many can you guys come up with??)

#4

5 hours ago, AstaCharles said:

I think they should "reboot" instead of recast. Roger is Captain.......... Have Roger supervise a young team that gets him in the crazy situations, and Riggs gets a happy ending ( written out of the show).

 like "A Different World" or Scrubs

 

One thing seems obvious:   Hollywood seems more than willing to keep a show going despite even (one of) the main actor(s) getting fired or quitting.

Edited May 9, 2018 by Twilight Man

[Token]

I'm glad to hear that they want to recast the role.  I quit watching the show after a few episodes in season one because I couldn't stand Crawford and the way he played Riggs.  He was just awful.  I'll be interested to see a potential season three with a new actor.

[jewel21]

I'm so bummed about all of this. I don't think a recast will work but I guess only time will tell. 

[MostlyC]

According to TVline, "The episode was filmed before the accusations against Crawford, and his response, went public," so it seems unlikely to me that they were going to kill him off, not when it comes to potential loss of dvd/blueray/syndication money combined with the cost/headache of recasting or replacing one of the main characters.  But who knows.  It will be interesting to see if the show gets renewed for a third season.

http://tvline.com/2018/05/08/lethal-weapon-finale-recap-season-2-episode-22-riggs-die-dead-clayne-crawford-fired/

[Irlandesa]

It was before the accusations went public but I would bet the producers knew he was a problem since the pressure to fire him wasn't coming from the public but rather from insiders. 

[Misslindsey]

I actually would be fine with a recast depending on who they ended up going with. I would probably tune in to see how their chemistry with Wayans would be and hope that it got back to a more season one vibe. I only sporadically tuned in this season anyway because I hated the Riggs/dad and the Riggs/Molly/her kid storylines. I would give the possible recast a shot to see where it goes. I am easy that way or have just watched too many soap operas so I am used to recasts.

Edited May 9, 2018 by Misslindsey

[Anela]

I'm not interested in a recast. I don't like the way this was handled, and I'm also tired of good things getting ruined. As I said before, this was a little bright spot to my week, during the worst time of my life (so far). If they have actually fired him, and used the announcement to try to get bigger ratings for the finale, that's a shitty thing to do. 

[MissLucas]

I honestly don't see a good way out of this. A reboot doesn't seem a good idea since Lethal Weapon without Riggs isn't Lethal Weapon. A recast sounds extremely risky - find someone who has the charisma for Riggs, has the same chemistry with Wayans and is willing to come aboard this rather rocky ship. Yet, if they decide to renew the show I'd say recasting is their only chance - but if they go down that route I would not put much money on a season 4.

[gibasi]

I want to know the numerous actors who have been offered the role and declined! 

[Guest]

I think I’d rather see a new character than a recast.

I loved Season 1 but Season 2 hasn’t really done it for me (I still have 4 episodes to catch up on) so I won’t be too sad if it is cancelled.

[DearEvette]

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

It was before the accusations went public but I would bet the producers knew he was a problem since the pressure to fire him wasn't coming from the public but rather from insiders. 

From what I can see public perception of Clayne Crawford as Riggs is very positive.  So no, not coming from the public since the public had no knowledge of the behind the scenes turmoil until  announcement of troubles on the set and rumors of firing him.

Since he is popular with the audience and he is a lead in the show (not just a supporting or ensemble), and the chemistry between Riggs and Murtaugh is an important element of the show's identity, I'd think Fox whould be really reluctant to fire him.  That would not be their first go to.  Shows put up with a lot of asinine behavior behind the scenes to maintain a 'show must go on' facade.  If the show is making even a little profit for the network, they aren't going to want to rock the boat.  So the decision to fire him has to come from a place where they had determined that keeping him is more detrimental than a recast.  Which leads me to believe that what is really happening is even more serious than the initial reports indicate.

[Sonja]

17 hours ago, JackONeill said:

Personally, they ran out of Lethal Weapon material in the first season. It then became just another cop show.

I was wondering how they'd manage an entire show when the movies already streched all credibility, and frankly asked for a lot of goodwill towards not always likable main characters. Looks as if they didn't.

This entire thing is extremely weird.

We have:

- One lead actor with issues big enough that they warrant having him having to relinquish part of his pay and go to therapy
- One lead actor who calls victims of sexual assault liars because they are 'un-rapeable' and *insert b-word I'm not even typing*
- Showrunners apparently not running the show

What I'm finding suspicious in all of this is why they let Crawford direct if he was creating a hostile environment. To give him more power to do so? Even if that had been promised before, that could have been taken away after the first reprimand.

This show can't be cheap in terms of stunts, effects, and location shoots so I'm wondering if it has gotten too troublesome for Fox in terms of cost, lacking storylines, plus leads who can't stand each other and cause bad headlines.
Call me cynical, but I've been working on the outskirts of this business for 20 years and it seems to me as if a network known for cancelling shows with a vocal fanbase wants to try a new way to get rid of one and not be the bad guy for once. After the story about Crawford having gotten out, they could have sensed an opportunity, well aware that if they do cancel after announcing that if the show goes on it's without him, they can say the online reactions were overwhelmingly saying fans wouldn't watch the show with a new actor, so the network had no choice.

[MissLucas]

53 minutes ago, Sonja said:

What I'm finding suspicious in all of this is why they let Crawford direct if he was creating a hostile environment. To give him more power to do so? Even if that had been promised before, that could have been taken away after the first reprimand.

(...)

After the story about Crawford having gotten out, they could have sensed an opportunity, well aware that if they do cancel after announcing that if the show goes on it's without him, they can say the online reactions were overwhelmingly saying fans wouldn't watch the show with a new actor, so the network had no choice.

I also wondered why he got the directing gig after having caused all those problems. A treat in the hope of improvement?

If that's the plan it's not really working - from what I'm seeing here and in other places there's no overwhelming majority of people claiming they wouldn't watch after a recast.

[Anela]

1 hour ago, Sonja said:

- One lead actor who calls victims of sexual assault liars because they are 'un-rapeable' and *insert b-word I'm not even typing*

Wow, I had no idea that Wayans said that. I've just googled. 

I've almost finished the finale, and yeah: I'm not interested in a recast. I think they should either make sure the actors get it together, or cancel. This feels like a series finale. 

[Court]

Ugh I'm out too if they recast. 

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, Sonja said:

Call me cynical, but I've been working on the outskirts of this business for 20 years and it seems to me as if a network known for cancelling shows with a vocal fanbase wants to try a new way to get rid of one and not be the bad guy for once. After the story about Crawford having gotten out, they could have sensed an opportunity, well aware that if they do cancel after announcing that if the show goes on it's without him, they can say the online reactions were overwhelmingly saying fans wouldn't watch the show with a new actor, so the network had no choice.

Does Lethal Weapon have an exceptionally vocal fan base?  I think there are other shenanigans they could have toyed with before this.

Besides, this is the production company doing this, not FOX.  The production company would have no incentive to play along with giving FOX a reason to cancel the show.

2 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I also wondered why he got the directing gig after having caused all those problems. A treat in the hope of improvement?

It seems like the show running isn't the best but it could also be in Clayne's contract to be able to direct X number of episodes a year.

[Happy Harpy]

47 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

It seems like the show running isn't the best but it could also be in Clayne's contract to be able to direct X number of episodes a year.

Or they gave in to placate him at first, before he turned truly unmanageable. Or they hoped it would help him to understand what was at stake by involving him more.

I now think he has serious issues. Dozens of people might be to be out of a job, or at least worry they might be, reportedly because of his behavior and he jokes publicly about his situation on social media? This is so tone deaf and reckless.

Edited May 9, 2018 by Happy Harpy

[MostlyC]

Curiouser and curiouser....according to IMDB, Clyne's only agent is for Voice-Overs only, so whichever agent got him the job is no longer his agent.  

[BooBear]

3 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I also wondered why he got the directing gig after having caused all those problems. A treat in the hope of improvement?

Knowing nothing about it,  I am not buying this blame Crawford stuff. As far as I know he didn't have any long running issues on Rectify. I have heard issues about Wayans; however,  I suspect someone likely asked for a raise that is the true reason behind the change. I am out. I look forward to Crawford doing a guest spot on Timeless next year. 

[Happy Harpy]

Just now, MostlyC said:

Curiouser and curiouser....according to IMDB, Clyne's only agent is for Voice-Overs only, so whichever agent got him the job is no longer his agent.  

IIRC, the second Deadline article mentioned that he and his agent parted ways after the second reprimand.

[AstaCharles]

I'm wondering if a B-roll clip is going to be leaked to TMZ. It's happened before..Christian Bale, Beyonce's sister...

[Happy Harpy]

The finale got a 0.8 in 18-49 and 3,15 million viewers.

[JackONeill]

9 hours ago, gibasi said:

I want to know the numerous actors who have been offered the role and declined! 

Someone had to have heard something. Someone call National Enquirer.

[JackONeill]

2 hours ago, BooBear said:

Knowing nothing about it,  I am not buying this blame Crawford stuff. As far as I know he didn't have any long running issues on Rectify. I have heard issues about Wayans; however,  I suspect someone likely asked for a raise that is the true reason behind the change. I am out. I look forward to Crawford doing a guest spot on Timeless next year. 

I wonder if Abigail Spencer who worked with him on Rectify and who’s connected to him on Instagram and who seems to like him, will weigh in.

Probably not. Her agent is probably sitting on her “Instagram hand.”

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, Happy Harpy said:

The finale got a 0.8 in 18-49 and 3,15 million viewers.

Not good. Bet Fox cancels.

[Last Time Lord]

Season 3: Solving the mystery of Riggs’ murder?

I hate this. I really like the show. :(

[emma675]

I think I'm done whether they recast or not. This season has been a hot mess and now knowing the reasons behind it, I'm done. It's sad and it makes me angry that two grown men who get paid more than mostpeople will make their whole lives acted the way they did.

[Happy Harpy]

2 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Not good. Bet Fox cancels.

Not horrible by today's standards. But will they consider it enough to compensate the loss of the co-lead? Not sure.

(In case they don't, a show, any show, needs to nab Keesha Sharp ASAP.)

[cam3150]

I also wondered why they would let him direct if he was supposedly such an awful employee.

 

This whole things is just so weird to me and I am so sad about it.  Lethal Weapon is one of my favorite shows.  

 

Being that I live about 10 mins from Clayne's hometown, and I actually work with his uncle, I have supported Clayne for a while now.  I absolutely LOVE him on this show and I love this show as a whole. However, I am OUT at this point.  It is very hard for me to say that since  never abanndon a show once I'm this far in to it. But I just cannot support it any longer. 

 

This whole thing seems almost like a ploy  to get rid of him for some reason.  I have no idea what happened and I don't even question that maybe he had anger issues.  But he went to therapy and he apologized profusely.  Being fired does not seem fair at all. He said something on social media (in an answer to someone's comment on his Instagram post a few weeks ago) that made it seem like he thought it was maybe a crew member who was out to get him and was filing complaints.  If it was Damon Wayans who had issues with him, that's just silly. Actors don't always get along but you suck it up, you act like a professional, and you don't let that impact your job performance.  Just based on social media, it did not seem like any of the other main actors had any issues with him.  

 

If the PTB caved to these complaints, whoever they were from, real or not, that says more about them than it does Clayne.    No disrespect to Damon but Clayne is the one that makes this show. He's the one brings it to life and gives it depth.  Re-casting does not work. You are not going to find someone else with the charisma and the chemistry with Damon Wayansthat Clayne has / had. They should just just either cancel it or just start over with a new character.  Given the way the show ended the other night, that would make the most sense anyway. It would be a seamless transition. It won't work, and I won't watch (neither will anyone else, based on the comments here and everywhere else),but it beats re-casting a very popular lead character in Season 3.  That only works in soap operas and it barely works then.  

[Anela]

Damon Wayans said on twitter, that he'll talk about it one day, that there's a lot to say. 

[Happy Harpy]

As I said before, I have no use for D.Wayans as a human being (ever since he made the declaration that was mentioned upthread) but I have to admit that he's behaving professionally here. He was attacked and accused more or less openly to be responsible for the problem whereas he was one of the victims, yet he kept silent and didn't make the network and studio look worse with back-and-forth public bickering, "he said, he said" etc.

4 hours ago, cam3150 said:

If the PTB caved to these complaints, whoever they were from, real or not, that says more about them than it does Clayne.   

Was CBS pretty happy, in the end, to find a pretext to ditch very, very pricey Thomas Gibson on Criminal Minds? I can believe it was a perk at the very least and even, that it might have been a factor in their final decision. In LW's case, absolutely no one had an interest to endanger the show's existence. There's no way they did it for less than very real and very big lawsuits looming. Unless I'm mistaken, typically main actors sign for three to five years, and their salaries can't be negotiated until the contract expires; so I don't think that Crawford's salary was an issue here, unlike in Gibson's case.

I want to stress first that I understand the disappointment, sadness, frustration or anger over losing one's favorite character, seeing one's favorite actor fired -it happened to me not that long ago- or possibly losing one's favorite show. No matter what happened BTS, LW won't be the same without Crawford's Riggs. It's legitimate that people stop watching then, because it isn't what they signed for or what they loved, and I'm not trying to dispute that at all. I just don't believe the conspiracy-ish theories.

Edited May 10, 2018 by Happy Harpy

[MissLucas]

I don't buy the conspiracy theories either but I also don't find ominous twitter promises to tell it all very professional. If this show wants to survive somebody should finally step up and stop the crazy-train of leaks and weird social media messages.

[Anela]

3 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

I don't buy the conspiracy theories either but I also don't find ominous twitter promises to tell it all very professional. If this show wants to survive somebody should finally step up and stop the crazy-train of leaks and weird social media messages.

Yeah, it's all annoying. 

[cam3150]

49 minutes ago, Happy Harpy said:

As I said before, I have no use for D.Wayans as a human being (ever since he made the declaration that was mentioned upthread) but I have to admit that he's behaving professionally here. He was attacked and accused more or less openly to be responsible for the problem whereas he was one of the victims, yet he kept silent and didn't make the network and studio look worse with back-and-forth public bickering, "he said, he said" etc.

Was CBS pretty happy, in the end, to find a pretext to ditch very, very pricey Thomas Gibson on Criminal Minds? I can believe it was a perk at the very least and even, that it might have been a factor in their final decision. In LW's case, absolutely no one had an interest to endanger the show's existence. There's no way they did it for less than very real and very big lawsuits looming. Unless I'm mistaken, typically main actors sign for three to five years, and their salaries can't be negotiated until the contract expires; so I don't think that Crawford's salary was an issue here, unlike in Gibson's case.

I want to stress first that I understand the disappointment, sadness, frustration or anger over losing one's favorite character, seeing one's favorite actor fired -it happened to me not that long ago- or possibly losing one's favorite show. No matter what happened BTS, LW won't be the same without Crawford's Riggs. It's legitimate that people stop watching then, because it isn't what they signed for or what they loved, and I'm not trying to dispute that at all. I just don't believe the conspiracy-ish theories.

With my D Wayans comment I was more referring to something I read in a few different places about him telling the PTB that it was either Clayne or him.   Maybe that did not happen, who knows as this point, but if it's true. I thought it was unprofessional for him to give an ultimatum like that when it could potentially impact hundreds of people's jobs if the show does not move forward.  That's all I meant. I did not know about his other issue mentioned upthread so that does make me dislike him, which I really did not before.  

 

Clayne has seemed genuinely shocked by this on social media (in both his comments and the Instagram video he posted a few weeks ago). He really seemed to have no idea where this was coming from and inferred a few times that it might be a crew member.  This was what I took from his replies to other Instagram users who commented on his post back when all this first came out. I guess that's all I can really go by at this point since no real details have been given and Damon has not made any specific comments about what happened.    

 

Either way, I hate it so much.  It just seems like a useless, pointless (potential) death of a really good TV show, which is nothing compared to the impact on the careers of everyone involved with it. 

[nitrofishblue]

Sorry, but to me Damon was the weak link here. I liked the Riggs character. Damon was written to act like a kindergarten kid. He sure never acted like a sane adult. If I was married to him, there would have been a divorce a long time ago.

[WendyCR72]

Crawford may be a total nutjob and if he was that intimidating and disruptive, I do get terminating him. That said, the character of Roger Murtaugh in the films - while he had his humorous moments - was indeed the grounding force and straight man to Riggs. Damon Wayans should have been aware of this going in.

I'm not saying Roger could never let loose. Danny Glover's version, as I said, had his moments. But if this fallout also involved Wayans being resentful of Crawford as far as Riggs goes, well...Damon, rent the films.

As it is, I'm betting this is moot and this will get the axe. But we'll see.

[MostlyC]

Interesting about all the news about fox cancellations today and nothing about Lethal Weapon.  I'm betting on cancellation, but I bet there's a lot of scrambling going on behind the scenes.  I wonder if there will be a last minute save of some kind.  If it comes back, I bet it will come back in the middle of the season.

Quote

I was more referring to something I read in a few different places about him telling the PTB that it was either Clayne or him.

I am curious.  If you find the articles/tweets/source, could you post the links here?

Sheesh, both actors are are looking pretty bad here.

Edited May 11, 2018 by MostlyC

[jewel21]

The thing that Wayans doesn't realize is that by not agreeing to get along with Crawford while on set (I don't care if they don't like each other off set), is that by trying to get him fired, he's basically signing his own future away. 

Edited May 11, 2018 by jewel21

[Happy Harpy]

6 hours ago, MostlyC said:

Interesting about all the news about fox cancellations today and nothing about Lethal Weapon.  I'm betting on cancellation, but I bet there's a lot of scrambling going on behind the scenes.

In fact, they canceled only comedies so far, there was no word about any of their three bubble dramas. They won't be able to wait after the Lucifer finale because the FOX upfronts are on Monday afternoon, but maybe they're waiting for Gotham's last numbers before making a final decision. 

FOX only picked up two dramas for now, The Passage and Proven Innocent. They probably won't order much more because only the Katie Holmes project seems to still have life into it, but they already renewed their four freshmen of this season (The Orville, The Gifted, The Resident and 9-1-1) and they're losing two scripted slots on Thursday because of their NFL deal.

I think the fate of the bubble dramas should be announced today. I'm sure that WB is scrambling and desperate to find an actor to replace Crawford, so maybe FOX is going to give them more leeway and wait for this weekend. Of course, they could take a page from the CBS book and unveil their schedule with the renewed ones on Monday, and let people do the math.

I wish they make an announcement fast, since some picked-up pilots are usually retooled and a couple of recasting are going on (like on NBC's The In-Between) so in case of cancelation, some LW cast members can find a new job quickly.

[Novel8]

If there were tension between the two leads, than why is it the writers always have Murtagh say out to Riggs, " I love you", and Riggs not once ever reciporcated.

[jelaine]

Okay, I've figured out how to retool the show. Get rid of Riggs and Murtaugh. I love them, but they are not working anymore. Avery is running for office, have Trish be his campaign manager, with Leo tagging along because that's what he does best, hire Scorsese as a speechwriter and the B team for security. 

Also, need to get rid of the writers and hire any looking for work after Fox's stupid comedy cancellations. B99 4 evah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dargosmydaddy]

33 minutes ago, jelaine said:

Okay, I've figured out how to retool the show. Get rid of Riggs and Murtaugh. I love them, but they are not working anymore. Avery is running for office, have Trish be his campaign manager, with Leo tagging along because that's what he does best, hire Scorsese as a speechwriter and the B team for security. 

Ha! I would watch that. Not planning on watching Murtaugh without Riggs. Still kind of hoping it gets cancelled after all this.

[Happy Harpy]

NBC passed on the Bad Boys' offshoot, LA's Finest, with Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. It's being shopped. I wonder if FOX might buy it, because it's exactly the same kind of show as Lethal Weapon and it could be a good replacement.

[Anela]

Damn, they cancelled Lucifer. I only watched the first season, but was going to catch up and start watching again. I still see nothing for LW.

[Happy Harpy]

According to The Hollywood reporter, Warner is still trying to recast. It seems that if LW doesn't comeback, Gotham will.