If you are looking up the cast of lethal weapon, you probably mean the television series rather than the original films, and you want a clear answer to a simple question: who played whom, and how did the line-up change across the show’s run? The TV series Lethal Weapon took the buddy-cop premise of the films — two very different detectives forced to work together — and rebuilt it for weekly television. This guide introduces the main cast in career-focused terms, explains the major casting change that reshaped the show, and helps you tell the principal players apart from the recurring supporting cast.
Buddy-cop stories live or die on chemistry. The audience has to believe that two people who irritate each other would still watch each other’s backs, and that belief comes from the actors as much as from the scripts. In the television version, that central partnership was the engine of the whole series. Everything else — the cases, the family storylines, the humour — was built around it. Understanding the cast of lethal weapon therefore starts with that partnership and works outwards.
The Central Partnership in the Cast of Lethal Weapon
The original television pairing brought together Damon Wayans as Roger Murtaugh and Clayne Crawford as Martin Riggs. Murtaugh, in the established Lethal Weapon tradition, is the experienced, family-oriented detective who values order, routine and getting home safely. Riggs is his opposite: a former special forces operative turned detective whose grief, recklessness and disregard for procedure constantly put both men in danger. The comedy and the drama both come from that collision.
Damon Wayans was already a well-established comedy and television performer before taking the role, with a long career in sketch comedy, sitcoms and film. That background mattered, because Murtaugh needs to be funny without becoming a caricature: he is the audience’s anchor, the character who reacts to chaos with exasperation, warmth and common sense. Wayans played that balance across the series, and his family scenes gave the show an emotional centre beyond the weekly cases.
Clayne Crawford, as Riggs, carried the darker half of the partnership. The character’s backstory involves loss and trauma, and the show returned to it repeatedly, using Riggs’s behaviour as both a source of action set pieces and a longer character arc. Crawford’s performance leaned into that volatility: Riggs could be charming and funny in one scene and self-destructive in the next. For viewers, that unpredictability was part of the appeal, and part of why the early seasons felt so energetic.
The Major Casting Change in the Cast of Lethal Weapon
Any honest guide to the cast of lethal weapon has to address the show’s most significant change: the departure of Clayne Crawford’s Riggs and the arrival of a new partner for Murtaugh. Seann William Scott joined the series as Wesley Cole, a former international operative turned detective, giving Murtaugh a new foil and giving the show a fresh dynamic for its later season.
Cole is not simply a copy of Riggs with a different name. While both characters bring a military and overseas background into police work, Cole’s storylines emphasised a different set of relationships, including his role as a father and his attempts to build a more settled life. That shift changed the tone of the partnership: where the Murtaugh-Riggs dynamic was built on managing chaos, the Murtaugh-Cole dynamic had more room for mentorship, rivalry and mutual respect between two professionals at different stages of their lives.
For viewers coming to the series now, the practical advice is to expect two distinct eras. The early episodes belong to the Murtaugh-Riggs partnership, and the later episodes belong to Murtaugh-Cole. Neither era is a continuation of the other in a simple sense; they share a premise, a central character in Murtaugh, and a supporting world, but the chemistry at the centre is different. Watching with that in mind prevents the confusion that often affects viewers who dip into the series mid-run and wonder why the lead partnership looks unfamiliar.
The Supporting Cast of Lethal Weapon
Beyond the central duo, the cast of lethal weapon included a strong supporting ensemble that gave the show its workplace and family texture. Keesha Sharp played Trish Murtaugh, Roger’s wife, whose sharp judgement and professional life of her own made her far more than a background figure. The Murtaugh family scenes, including their children, provided the show’s domestic anchor and a contrast to the violence of police work.
Kevin Rahm played Captain Brooks Avery, the commanding officer who had to manage two detectives with very different approaches to the job. Avery’s role was to represent institutional pressure: budgets, politics, public scrutiny and the consequences of reckless policing. A good captain character gives a police drama its stakes, because the heroes cannot simply do whatever they like without someone answering for it, and Rahm played that function with dry authority.
Jordana Brewster played Dr Maureen Cahill, a psychologist whose professional relationship with Riggs, and later with the wider team, added a therapeutic and analytical dimension to the show. Her character allowed the series to discuss trauma, behaviour and recovery directly, rather than leaving those themes entirely to action sequences. Other recurring players filled out the precinct, the medical and forensic world, and the Murtaugh and Riggs circles, giving the series a lived-in feel that a two-hander alone could not achieve.
Cast of Lethal Weapon: TV Series Versus Films
Confusion between the films and the television series is one of the most common reasons people search for the cast of lethal weapon. The films starred Mel Gibson as Riggs and Danny Glover as Murtaugh, and those performances are iconic in their own right. The television series, however, is a separate production with its own cast, continuity and tone. It borrows the premise, the character names and the basic dynamic, but it is not a continuation of the film storylines.
That distinction matters for several reasons. First, it affects which actor you are actually looking for: a search for “Riggs actor” can return either the film or the television performer depending on context. Second, it affects storylines: events in the films do not dictate events in the series, and vice versa. Third, it affects where you watch: the films and the series are usually listed separately on streaming services, and searching by the wrong medium can send you to the wrong catalogue entirely.
A useful habit is to include “TV series” in your search when you mean the show, and to check the year and format of any result before assuming it matches. Cast lists for the series should name Wayans, Crawford and later Scott in the central roles, while cast lists for the films will name Gibson and Glover. If a list mixes the two, it is unreliable and should not be quoted.
Cast of Lethal Weapon: Main Characters at a Glance
| Character | Played by | Role in the series |
|---|---|---|
| Roger Murtaugh | Damon Wayans | Experienced, family-oriented detective and the show’s anchor |
| Martin Riggs | Clayne Crawford | Volatile detective partner in the early seasons |
| Wesley Cole | Seann William Scott | Former operative turned detective partner in the later season |
| Trish Murtaugh | Keesha Sharp | Roger’s wife and a strong professional voice in her own right |
| Captain Brooks Avery | Kevin Rahm | Commanding officer balancing procedure and results |
| Dr Maureen Cahill | Jordana Brewster | Psychologist working with the detectives |
This table covers the principal players only. Recurring guest performers appeared across the run in roles ranging from fellow officers to family members and antagonists, and a full episode-by-episode cast list is best checked against a reputable episode guide rather than a single summary page.
Why the Cast of Lethal Weapon Worked on Television
Adapting a film franchise for television is a risky business. Films can rely on spectacle and a tight two-hour arc; television needs characters who can sustain dozens of hours without repeating themselves. The cast of lethal weapon succeeded, for as long as it did, because the central partnership offered two kinds of story at once: a weekly case that could be resolved in an episode, and a longer character story about grief, family and professional trust that unfolded across seasons.
The supporting cast was equally important to that formula. A police drama without a believable precinct feels empty, and a buddy-cop show without a believable home life feels one-dimensional. By giving Murtaugh a vivid family and giving the detectives a captain, a psychologist and colleagues with their own perspectives, the series created a world that could support both comedy and drama. That world is also what allowed the show to survive its major casting change: Murtaugh’s relationships with his family and colleagues remained intact, even as his partner changed.
For viewers exploring similar ensemble television, the same principle applies: look beyond the two leads. The strength of a long-running series usually lies in the whole company, not in a single star. Our guide to TV shows with Rodger Corser takes a similar ensemble view of another television career, and our piece on Jason David Frank movies and TV shows shows how a performer can be associated with a franchise while still building a varied career around it.
How to Watch the Cast of Lethal Weapon in Order
If you are new to the series, watch from the beginning rather than starting with a later season. The early episodes establish Murtaugh’s family, Riggs’s backstory and the rules of their partnership, and that groundwork pays off in later storylines. When you reach the casting change, treat it as the start of a new chapter rather than a disruption to be skipped: the later episodes make more sense if you understand what Murtaugh has already been through.
Episode guides are helpful here, because they usually note which episodes are case-of-the-week stories and which advance the longer character arcs. If you have limited time, prioritise the episodes that develop the central partnership and the Murtaugh family, and treat standalone cases as optional extras. That approach gives you the emotional spine of the series without requiring you to watch every procedural plot in full.
Finally, remember to check which version of the series your streaming service carries. Licensing varies by region, and some services list only selected seasons. Confirming availability before you settle in for a run avoids the frustration of reaching a cliffhanger and discovering the next season is not included.
It is also worth remembering, when discussing the cast of lethal weapon, that television ensembles are judged over years rather than single episodes. The cast of lethal weapon earned its audience through the slow accumulation of character detail: family scenes, workplace friction and long-running storylines that rewarded regular viewers. That is why the cast of lethal weapon remains a useful reference point for anyone studying how a film premise can be rebuilt successfully for the small screen.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Cast of Lethal Weapon
Who played Murtaugh in the TV series?
Damon Wayans played Roger Murtaugh throughout the television series, anchoring both the early partnership with Riggs and the later partnership with Cole.
Who played Riggs in the TV series?
Clayne Crawford played Martin Riggs in the early seasons of the television series. This is a different performance from Mel Gibson’s Riggs in the films.
Who replaced Riggs in the cast of lethal weapon?
Seann William Scott joined as Wesley Cole, a new detective partner for Murtaugh, in the later season of the series.
Is the TV series a sequel to the films?
No. The series is a separate television adaptation that reuses the premise and character names. Its cast, continuity and storylines are distinct from the films.
Conclusion
The cast of lethal weapon, in its television form, is best understood as a central partnership surrounded by a strong ensemble. Damon Wayans as Roger Murtaugh provides the constant: a seasoned detective, a family man and the show’s emotional anchor. Clayne Crawford as Martin Riggs defines the early seasons with volatility and grief-driven energy, while Seann William Scott as Wesley Cole reshapes the later season around a different kind of partnership. Around them, Keesha Sharp, Kevin Rahm, Jordana Brewster and the wider recurring cast give the series its workplace and domestic world. Keep the films and the series separate in your mind, watch the early episodes first, and you will have a clear, accurate picture of who played whom and why the show worked. For another ensemble-focused viewing guide, see our round-up of TV premiere dates and ensemble casts.
