As previously reported, Clayne Crawford, who starred as Martin Riggs on the first two seasons of the Lethal Weapon TV show on FOX, was let go from the production. Subsequently, Lethal Weapon was renewed for season three, and a new actor, Seann William Scott, has been tapped to star in a new role opposite Damon Wayans’ Roger Murtaugh. During the Upfronts, a FOX exec addressed the recent firing of one of the show’s two leads.

A FOX TV series adaptation of the buddy-cop film franchise, Lethal Weapon also stars Keesha Sharp, Kevin Rahm, Jordana Brewster, Johnathan Fernandez, Dante Brown, Chandler Kinney, and Michelle Mitchenor. FOX Chair and CEO Dana Walden made it clear that firing Crawford wasn’t the network’s call.

Deadline reports:

On Crawford’s ouster and bringing back Lethal Weapon with a new co-star, Scott, playing a new character, Fox chairman Dana Walden said, “It wasn’t our choice. Our partners at Warner Bros. came to us and said that they could not deliver the show as it was.” She noted that it was a difficult decision on both the part of the studio and the network. After the studio presented Fox with Scott as a replacement, the network signed off on a third season. “I think we made the right choice,” she said, noting that Scott’s addition brings “good new dynamic to the show with a lot of its original dynamic intact.” Newman added that “90 percent of the cast is coming back,” including the Murtaugh family, which is an important focal point of the show. “We will be making sure to let the audience know there is something new” on the series this fall, he added regarding Fox’s marketing plans for Season 3 and noted that another cop drama, ABC’s NYPD Blue, had to replace one of its two leads after the first season after David Caruso’s exit, but went on to have a long and successful run.

What do you think? Are you a Clayne Crawford fan? Will you check out the third season of the Lethal Weapon TV series, to see how you like the new actor and character?