Action, drama and comedy abound in ‘Lethal Weapon’

These days, the television landscape is peppered with all sorts of shows, but drama and comedy are still the meat and potatoes of prime time. Many series attempt to mix the two genres, but few of them do it with the ease of Fox’s “Lethal Weapon.”

Damon Wayans (“In Living Color”) and Clayne Crawford (“Rectify”) star as Roger Murtaugh and Martin Riggs, respectively, in the second season of “Lethal Weapon,” airing Tuesday, Dec. 5, on Fox. Based on the popular film series from the ‘80s and ‘90s, the show follows L.A. cops assigned to a crime-ridden beat.

The original “Lethal Weapon” franchise brought the buddy movie formula to a whole new level, and Fox’s TV version offers fans the same mix of action, drama and humor. When the TV version premiered last September, Wayans and Crawford quickly won over viewers with their chemistry and earned the show an early season 2 renewal. Fox executive David Madden had high praise for the series when the early renewal was announced in February.

“’Lethal Weapon’ continues to fire on all cylinders,” Madden said. “Every week, it delivers a big fun roller-coaster ride, but also remains touchingly human and genuinely emotional.”

While there were plenty of naysayers who doubted that the television reboot of the films could recreate the action-packed fun of the original, which starred Mel Gibson (“Braveheart,” 1995) and Danny Glover (“The Color Purple” 1985) as Riggs and Murtaugh, Fox’s “Lethal Weapon” has held its own. That is in large part due to the aforementioned chemistry between Wayans and Crawford.

As Murtaugh, Wayans is the proverbial straight man to Crawford’s loose cannon as Riggs. A husband and father of three, Murtaugh recently returned to the force after a heart attack, only to find himself paired with out-of-control new hire Riggs. With everything to live for, Murtaugh found himself struggling to rein in his self-destructive partner lest he put them both at risk.

On the flipside, Crawford’s Riggs lives a very different lifestyle with his trailer on the beach and 1977 Ford F-350. The antithesis of his partner, former Navy SEAL Riggs has a blatant disregard for safety as he pursues criminals. His destructive tendencies seem to stem from the loss of his wife and unborn child in El Paso, Texas.

It’s typical buddy comedy fodder, but Crawford and Wayans manage to keep the show from slipping into cliché with their chemistry, which has been almost universally praised by critics. Their connection may be, in part, due to the fact that Crawford grew up watching Wayans in his groundbreaking sketch comedy series “In Living Color.” In an interview with collider.com, the actor claimed the show was at least partially responsible for his sense of humor: “For me, everything those guys wrote made me laugh out loud,” Crawford said.

Unlike a lot of recent television reboots, the “Lethal Weapon” TV series has remained fairly faithful to the original, at least when it comes to the key players. Keesha Sharp (“Girlfriends”) stars as Murtaugh’s wife, Trish, a lawyer. In the “Lethal Weapon” film series, the character was played by singer Darlene Love. Murtaugh’s two teenage children also play prominently in the TV series. Riana Murtaugh, known as Rianne (Traci Wolf, “In the Heat of the Night”) in the film series, is now played by Chandler Kinney (“Girl Meets World”). Roger Jr., named Nick (Damon Hines, “Chicago Hope”) in the movies, is now portrayed by Dante Brown (“Mr. Robinson”).

“Mad Men” alumnus Kevin Rahm takes on the role of Capt. Brooks Avery, which was based on the character of Capt. Ed Murphy (Steve Kahan, “Conspiracy Theory,” 1997) in the film franchise. Jordana Brewster (“The Fast and the Furious,” 2001) appears as police department psychologist Dr. Maureen Cahill, a character based on the movies’ Dr. Stephanie Woods, a role originated by Mary Ellen Trainor (“The Goonies,” 1985).

Fox’s television series has also added medical examiner and forensics technician Scorsese (Johnathan Fernandez, “Bull”), and Det. Sonya Bailey (Michelle Mitchenor, “Chi-Raq,” 2015).

The recurring cast includes Thomas Lennon (“The Odd Couple”) as ambulance-chasing attorney Leo Getz, Hilarie Burton (“One Tree Hill”) as DEA Agent Karen Palmer, and Richard Cabral (“American Crime”) as Det. Alejandro Cruz. Season 2 welcomes Michelle Hurd (“Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”) as Gina Santos, and Andrew Creer (“Barracuda”) as young cop Zach Bowman.

All of these characters come together to entertain audiences in the second season, which finds Murtaugh navigating rough waters at home, while also trying to steer Riggs away from his demons. For all of his growth last season, Riggs is still a wild spirit.

While ratings have taken a dip so far this season, averaging about four million live viewers per episode compared to more than eight million last season, “Lethal Weapon” is still faring well in the grand scheme of prime-time television. Recent talk of a possible reboot of the film franchise could raise the show’s profile even more. That’s right, Gibson and Glover may reunite on the big screen in a new “Lethal Weapon,” or so rumor has it. In October, deadline.com reported that the actors and director Richard Donner (“Superman,” 1978) had been considering a new film version.

With plans for a new movie still up in the air, fans of the series can get their weekly dose of “Lethal Weapon” Tuesday, Dec. 5, on Fox.

Damon Wayans stars in “Lethal Weapon”