Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans star in Lethal Weapon
Starting Sunday 8pm on Nine is this wonderful new series which The Other Half and I have watched 10 episodes of, together.
Before I say anything about the show, I want you to understand how rare it is that we both LIKE a tv show because our tastes in television are so wildly different.
Out of all the shows we have watched together, there are maybe two that we both genuinely liked and enjoyed – Seinfeld because we watched all the episodes together and in order – and it must be noted, when you do that, Seinfeld becomes an entirely different show from Channel 10 just airing the same 20 episodes over and over – and The X Files.
Sure, he watched Breaking Bad with me because I asked him to, he liked it but he probably did not enjoy it the same way as I did. He does not love “real life drama” which is why The X Files kinda worked for us – that and the fact that we both loved Mulder and Scully.
I watched Rectify – a show I have talked about here on the blog before – and among all the fantastic performances by the cast, there was a standout performance by Clayne Crawford as Teddy, a very flawed man indeed. I hated Teddy at first. HATED him. Like I wanted to murder him myself. But somehow Clayne took this flawed character and forced me to love him. By the end of the series Teddy had become my second favourite character on the show.
So when I heard that Clayne Crawford was playing Martin Riggs – one of the two lead characters on Lethal Weapon – I knew this was a show I had to watch purely because I had become such a fan of the work of Clayne on Rectify. I knew nothing about Lethal Weapon. I do not recall ever seeing the movies, and I still have not seen them. So I went into this show knowing nothing and expecting nothing.
The show did meet with rather mixed reviews in the USA. One reviewer wrote a love letter to the hair of Clayne Crawford. I completely agree, the hair is a sight to behold. Another reviewer spoke of how unlikely and unlike real life the situations were.
My feeling is, most of this show is meant to be fun. It is NOT meant to reflect real life in any way. Absolutely some of the situations are incredibly unrealistic but this is a tv show, not a documentary. The actors are clearly having a great time which is something I enjoy watching.
So, if you can put your expectations aside and just sit back and watch and see if you enjoy it, this show might be one of your favourites this year. The show has been renewed for season two, so you can feel free to get a little attached to the characters. They will be around for a while.
My apologies for any delays 9 will create – NOBODY knows what time 8pm actually is in their world. It is a great mystery.
I’ve heard this is coming but didn’t know when; I’ve seen the movies, all four of them and didn’t think much of the fourth, mostly because I’m not a fan of Renee Russo. I wondered about liking this new show, thinking I might spend the time comparing it to the movies, but I’m willing to give it a fair trial.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This show hasn’t gotten here yet, and I wouldn’t have considered watching it. Now, when it gets here, I might give it a try. (I loved Rectify.)