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‘Lethal Weapon’ star Clayne Crawford fired, recasting scramble underway

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 6:39 pm
by ntscuser
A few hours before “Lethal Weapon” airs its second-season finale — and less than a week before FOX sets its lineup for next season — the show is undergoing a major shake-up

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Star Clayne Crawford has been dismissed from the show, according to several reports (TVLine had the news first). News broke a couple weeks ago that he had been reprimanded more than once “over complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment.” Neither FOX, producer Warner Bros. nor Crawford’s representatives have commented.

After the initial report of Crawford’s alleged behavior surfaced, he posted a statement on Instagram referencing two incidents. One of them involved an episode he directed in which an actor (reportedly the show’s other lead, Damon Wayans) was hit with shrapnel from a special effect during filming. In the other incident, a disagreement with a director led to Crawford attending “studio-appointed therapy.”

With Crawford out, FOX and Warner Bros. are searching for another actor to take on the role of LAPD Detective Martin Riggs. They’re on a fairly tight deadline: Contract options on the cast expire June 30, and FOX presents its 2018-19 schedule to advertisers on Monday.

On numbers alone, “Lethal Weapon” would be a reasonably safe bet to return next season: It’s averaging a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49 and 4.21 million viewers the night it airs, rising to 1.7 and 6.81 million viewers after a week of delayed viewing. Its ratings profile is similar to several shows (“The Gifted,” “The Orville,” “The Resident”) the network has picked up for next season.