Actors Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans speak onstage at the 'Lethal Weapon' panel discussion during the FOX portion of the 2016 Television Critics Association Summer Tour on Aug. 8. (Photo : Getty Images / Frederick M. Brown)
The new TV series "Lethal Weapon" starring Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans relive the adventures of two hilarious cops. It is an adaptation of the film with the same name, which was a series of buddy-cop movies in the late 1980s that capitalized on the chemistry between the two leads, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover who played Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh.
The reboot of the franchise on the small screen premiered on Fox on Sept. 21, Wednesday. It updates the action and uses the same formula of the partnership of Riggs and Murtagh, now played by Crawford and Wayans respectively, with tons of humor in between.
In the pilot episode, Riggs chased bad guys in Texas with a fellow policeman when his pregnant wife, Miranda called that she is in labor. He managed to arrive at the hospital on time but Miranda met a car accident on her way to the hospital, leading to her death and that of her baby.
Six months after, Riggs moved to California spending his days drunk and considering suicide but he cannot kill himself or his wife will be ashamed of him. While in a hostage situation at a bank, he challenged the robbers to kill him to meet their demands, shot all of the criminals and walked off. However, that is not before he accidentally set off a detonator in a criminal's bomb vest then snacked on a pizza prior to the blast.
Meanwhile, Detective Murtagh is set for his first day of work after a heart attack and surgery. With a lawyer wife, Trish (Keesha Sharp) and three kids, his life was pretty fine until he arrived to the precinct. Murtagh found his partner Brooks Avery (Kevin Rahm) was promoted to captain, and his new partner is Riggs.
The suicidal Riggs always puts both of Murtagh and himself in death-likely situations like high speed car chase that encountered a grand prix race. When in a hostage scene, the quick-thinking Murtagh shot his careless partner in the foot so he dropped and grab a firearm, offing the bad guy and saving the child in danger.
Mat Miller penned the pilot episode while McG, who directed "Charlie's Angels," "The O.C." and "The Mysteries of Laura" was the director. Miller and McG also serve as the series' executive producers alongside Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz, according to Fox.
In "Lethal Weapon" Season 1 episode 2, the two cops have another assignment. They respond to a noise complaint which case involves illegal gun runners. Lots of mayhem are expected from the hilarious cop duo in "Surf N' Turf" on Sept. 28.
"Lethal Weapon" leads Crawford and Wayans did not have the chance to talk to the original stars Gibson and Glover, Wayans told Daily News during a screening of the series at Paleyfest Fall TV preview's 10th anniversary in Los Angeles. However, he hopes Crawford and himself will be able to give justice to their roles that the elder actors can commend.
Watch Riggs and Murtaugh in action below:
