When I first heard of the Lethal Weapon franchise being rebooted into a TV series I was skeptical. Especially with the foreseen “success” of a similar buddy-cop series, Rush Hour I was not getting my hopes up.
Seeing that veteran actor Damon Wayans (Sr.) was cast as the now legendary Robert Murdoch (who was “getting too old for this sh*t”) I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and watch one episode. I was not disappointed, so much so that I decided to watch the movie series (all four of them) back-to-back. Hailed as the godfather of all buddy-cop movies I get while they are certified as classic status.
The series does a great job of continuing the franchise while creating a moderately-viewable family version of Lethal Weapon. We get some insight into how Martin Riggs’ wife died and why he is the way he is. The first season closes with Riggs in pursuit of the man responsible for his wife’s death, which is revealed to not have been an accident but murder.
The chemistry between Murdoch and Riggs is evident as they play good cop-bad cop while also shedding light on Murdoch’s family and the trials and tribulations of his teenage children. This is an action series that although its funny its comedic aspect does not infringe on the episodes storylines.
I was a bit concerned about Damon Wayans, at first, since I’m used to seeing him in sitcoms but his acting is unquestionably good. I’m sure Danny Glover is more than proud.
Fox has renewed Lethal Weapon for a second season so I’m sure that we’re going to be enjoying more of the Murdoch-Riggs strange, sometimes dramatically over-the-top but compelling relationship. Looking for something to watch? If this one a try I’m sure you will not be disappointed.
