With the pickup of whopping six new drama series and the arrival of WWE SmackDown Live on Friday, Fox did some housecleaning, canceling several series, including Lethal Weapon.
During the Fox upfronts call on Monday morning, Fox CEO Charlie Collier was asked about the decision to cancel the series, starring Damon Wayans and Seann William Scott after three seasons.
He talked about the “series of tough choices we have to make this time a year.”
“In the quest to be No.1, you have to make tough choices, and Lethal Weapon was unfortunately on the other side (of the bubble).”
Asked whether the behind-the-scene drama surrounding series’ star Damon Wayans played a role in the cancellation call, Collier did not answer directly but reiterated that the decision was driven by “the commitment to try to keep growing and invest in the future.”
The Warner Bros. TV-produced Lethal Weapon had been through the wringer since the firing of Clayne Crawford last spring over issues with on-set behavior. The show landed a last-minute Season 3 renewal after finding a new co-lead in Scott who was received fairly well by fans. Then last fall, star Wayans dropped the bomb that he was going to leave after the first 13 episodes of Season 3. He later signed off for three more episodes and was reportedly open to another season.
The season finale ended with a cliffhanger and left the door open for the possibility of a season 4. During TCA in February Collier had indicated that the reboot still had some life in it.
The season 3 finale saw a dip in ratings but still delivered respectable 1.2 adults 18-49 rating and 5.4 million viewers in Live+7.
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