No one is above the law (of the studio)

As of writing this, the finale of season 2 of Lethal Weapon has not yet aired, and season 3 has not yet been confirmed. But one thing is certain: Clayne Crawford, who plays loveable scamp Martin Riggs in the show, has been fired.

A few weeks ago, reports surfaced that Crawford had been the subject of, and reprimanded for, complaints of "emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment". The actor took to Instagram at the time, and posted an apology / not apology. In his statement, he laid bare his own anger and complaints of unsafe work practices under a guest director, and also his poor response to an actor (reportedly his co-star Damon Wayans) under HIS direction when a special effect went wrong.

"I absolutely love, respect and care for my crew and cast, and would never intentionally jeopardize so many jobs", Crawford wrote. "I an incredibly sorry if my passion for doing good work has ever made anyone feel less than comfortable on our set, or feel less than celebrated for their efforts. Furthermore, I apologize to all the crew and cast for any negative attention Lethal Weapon is receiving because of these incidents."

For one or both of these incidents, Crawford had to attend "studio appointed therapy". He also stated that he would (was made to?) share a "sizeable portion" of his pay with the guest director.

The TV Calendar Renewal / Cancellation page had Lethal Weapon as "Equal Chance" of being picked up or let go, but recasting the Martin Riggs character might be the thing that breaks the deal. The studio obviously felt the actor needed to be removed, but a large portion of the audience won't, which would possibly hurt ratings going forward. We'll probably know more next week during the upfronts, though the studio has until June 30th to make a decision, but this bubble show may just have popped.