In a video interview with Electronic Urban Report, Damon Wayans announced that he's leaving the Fox show 'Lethal Weapon,' for personal reasons, after finishing the series' current 13-episode season 3 order. In explaining his decision, he points to the 16-hour workdays and the fact that he's a 58-year-old diabetic." Deadline reported that Wayans is going back to the stage to "find his smile."
Reps for Wayans, Warner Bros. Television, and Fox Broadcasting have not publicly commented on Wayans exit. Wayans has said that he is giving the studio and network plenty of time to find a replacement for himself.
Damon Wayans exit is no surprise
Damon Wayans has been disgruntled with the show since last season when he was involved in a spat with former co-star Clayne Crawford. WBTV ended up firing Crawford over his on-set behavior. Fox ended up replacing Crawford with Seann William Scott in mid-May, and renewed the show for a third season.
Wayans has been vocal about the physical demands of doing a drama series and the toll it takes on him. Wayans previously starred on the ABC comedy 'My Wife & Kids,' a far lighter sitcom. Wayans said his job on the show was putting too much strain on his family life. He missed his daughter and mother's recent surgeries, because of the show's filming schedule.
'Lethal Weapon' still drawing in views
According to Variety, Season 3 of 'Lethal Weapon' premiered September 25, with 3.4 million viewers. 'Lethal Weapon,' and NBC's 'This Is Us,' led all premieres with 5.6 million views. The show is based on the buddy cop films starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a pair mismatched LA police detectives.
The buddy cop show was the focus of drama as rumors made it seem like Fox would only renew that series or 'Gotham.' Both ended up being picked up with a new season of 'Gotham,' which will wrap up the Batman-driven show.
To explain Crawford's exit, Fox ended up killing his character to make way for his replacement. If Fox decides to keep the show alive, viewers may have to witness another funeral soon and a 'Lethal Weapon,' with no Riggs and no Murtaugh.
Wayans has said that he was enjoying his time on season three. Wayans said it was a lot looser and that nobody is overthinking. Crawford claims that neither he or Damon Wayans wanted to do 'Lethal Weapon,' and they both had issues with each other. As the season continues, fans will have to wait and see what the network decides to do with the future of the show.