Television series

Lethal Weapon

Name: Lethal Weapon
Genre: Drama, Action, Crime
Released: 2016
Cast: Damon Wayans, Keesha Sharp, Kevin Rahm, Michelle Mitchenor, Johnathan Fernandez

Other titles called Lethal Weapon: the 1987 film.

A TV remake of the buddy-cop films that leans harder into character and trauma than the originals. Damon Wayans' Murtaugh is a careful, grieving man trying to rebuild after a heart attack, paired with Clayne Crawford's reckless Riggs, who's running from the death of his family. Their friction is real and earned, not manufactured. It's a show about broken men who need each other, wrapped in explosions and procedure.

TVMaze rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a buddy cop pairing where the odd couple's friction does most of the work, with the action played as a bonus to the banter between two people who clash on instinct.

Skip it if the show leans on familiar crime plotting, and its swings between gunfire and gags can feel uneven.

What it asks of you: Fifty-five hour-long episodes across three seasons, a long run that calls for steady, fast-moving hours and a willingness to let the partners' bickering carry the lulls.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Graceland2013

A procedural about undercover cops where the buddy dynamic and shared house chaos matter as much as the cases. It has the same DNA of partner friction and found-family bonds, with cases that genuinely complicate the characters.

But The show was cancelled mid-arc, so you'll hit an unsatisfying ending. Some seasons prioritise plot over character moments.

The Rookie2018

A procedural that respects its characters' emotional lives as much as the action. It's about men learning the job and learning themselves simultaneously, with partnerships that grow earned and real over time.

But It's gentler in tone and more optimistic about institutions than Lethal Weapon, which some find saccharine. Weekly case-of-the-week can feel repetitive.

Bosch2015

A detective show that treats trauma, procedure, and partnership with genuine weight. Harry Bosch is damaged and alone in ways Riggs recognises, and his cases cut deep. Superb writing and acting across all seven seasons.

But It's slower and more procedural-heavy than Lethal Weapon, with less action and comedy. Some find the Los Angeles detail overwhelming rather than atmospheric.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Lethal Weapon

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Patriot2015

Both are about damaged men—one ravaged by grief, one by duty—whose only tether to survival is an unlikely partnership. They're shows about people who should not work together, who save each other anyway.

A spy thriller that's genuinely about a man broken by his work, held together by a singular partnership that becomes redemptive. Michael Dorman plays a guy slowly fracturing under trauma, and the emotional depth rivals any prestige drama. Two seasons of incredible, strange, specific television.

But It's structurally weird, tonally inconsistent, and sometimes painfully slow. The show plays against every spy convention, which some find pretentious rather than interesting.

The Shield2002

The gold standard for cop-partnership drama. It's about a unit of detectives whose bond and moral complexity deepen across seven seasons. Riggs and Murtaugh's push-pull is here, but darker and more consequential.

But It's genuinely bleak and morally murky in ways that can feel relentless. The show doesn't offer much reprieve, and the ending is devastating.

Southland2009

An ensemble cop drama that pivots between partners and cases with brutal realism. It captures LAPD life without glamour, and the partnerships carry real weight. Sharp writing, excellent casts across five seasons.

But It was often brutal and grim, which led to inconsistent viewership. Some found the ensemble structure made it hard to latch onto one character's journey.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine2013

A cop comedy where the partnerships and found-family dynamics are the beating heart, not window dressing. The ensemble clicks, the cases matter, and it finds genuine warmth without sacrificing character complexity.

But The tone is much lighter and more optimistic than Lethal Weapon. If you're after grit and darkness, this will feel almost aggressively cheerful.

Major Crimes2012

A spinoff of The Closer with Sharon Raydor's pragmatic detective leading a squad through crimes that demand empathy alongside investigation. Strong procedural writing and character arcs that span multiple seasons.

But It's procedurally dense and benefits from knowing The Closer first. The tone is more methodical and less action-focused than you might expect.

Homicide: Life on the Street1993

The ancestor of every procedural that respects its detectives' humanity. Homicide was about partnership, grief, and what the job costs. It's patient, deeply written, and its partnerships feel like marriages.

But It's set in 1990s Baltimore with dated video quality and pacing that won't feel as snappy as modern TV. Some cases sprawl without neat resolution.

Line of Duty2012

A crime procedural where partnerships are tested by moral ambiguity and institutional corruption. Each season ratchets tension, and the lead interrogation scenes are as gripping as any action set piece.

But It's British and builds slowly—the payoff takes patience. Some plot threads conclude in ways that frustrate viewers expecting neat closure.

The Sopranos1999

Both centre on men whose work and their humanity are in permanent collision. Riggs and Tony both process trauma through action and partnership, but The Sopranos asks what that costs everyone around them.

The show that changed television by proving a protagonist could be flawed, grieving, and compelling without redemption. It's about a man in therapy, processing trauma and his capacity for violence, surrounded by people he loves and exploits.

But It's a slow-burn character study masquerading as a crime show. There's no catharsis, no tidy answers, and the ending will infuriate some viewers. It's also very dark.

The Americans2013

Like Lethal Weapon, it's about two people yoked together by circumstance who become essential to survival. But where Lethal Weapon finds warmth in partnership, The Americans asks what happens when the partnership itself becomes the weapon.

A spy drama about two agents living as a married couple, performing partnership while reality and feeling blur beneath. It's achingly tense, gorgeously shot, and driven entirely by character—by what partnership demands and costs.

But It's relentlessly bleak and morally compromised. If you need hope or likeable characters, this will wear you down. The pacing is deliberately glacial.