Fresh off of a decent ratings performance across its first three weeks on-air, Fox has handed out a “full season” order to freshman drama series Lethal Weapon. The back order is for a further five episodes, bringing the total number of episodes ordered for season one to eighteen.
When it debuted last month Lethal Weapon broke records to become Fox’s highest fall premiere in two years, with a 3.2/12 Live + 7 rating among Adults 18-49 and 12.4 million viewers across all platforms to date. It is the also No. 3 new drama this season (tied with CBS’ Bull), with a 3.0/11 in Live + 7 among Adults 18-49 and the average multi-platform audience for the show is 11.5 million viewers in Live + 7.
“Lethal Weapon delivers an explosive and wildly entertaining core relationship between two cops, with dynamic performances by Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford, surrounded by cinematic action, endearing humor and true heart,” said Fox’s President of Entertainment David Madden. “Matt Miller, McG, Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz have done a tremendous job on this show, which has proven to be a self-starter and solid companion for Empire. We are thrilled to add these episodes to Lethal Weapon’s first season.”
This marks the first back-order that Fox has handed out this season and is only the fourth across all five broadcast networks; with NBC having picked up a full-season of This Is Us, while ABC granted similar orders to both Designated Survivor and comedy Speechless. Lethal Weapon has yet to premiere here in the UK, though ITV has inked a deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution to acquire the series – with plans to air it on the main channel in a mid-week prime-time slot.