2016–2019 · Based on 3 seasons ·
Lethal Weapon follows Martin Riggs, a troubled former Navy SEAL who joins the LAPD after his wife and unborn child die. The LAPD pairs him with Roger Murtaugh, a married father and veteran detective who wants a safer job after a heart attack. The two men chase killers and gangs across Los Angeles while their fights slowly turn into trust. The show mixes gun battles, car chases, dark grief, family problems, and rough jokes.
Most episodes build their stories around police work, grief, marriage, parenting, and the growing bond between the two partners. The show gives women important jobs in policing, law, and medicine, while their personal stories stay tied to the case or family plot. A late third-season episode follows a Mexican father and daughter seeking safety and shows corrupt Border Patrol agents taking bribes from human traffickers. The episode grants the family political asylum and makes the LAPD expose the abuse, so it adds a clear immigration message that is important in one episode but not the show's main subject.
Community feedback
Was our 26% Woke rating accurate?
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Lethal Weapon.
Woke representation / casting
Not present in this title.
0%
Woke political dialogue
The episode “Coyote Ugly” talks directly about immigration and political asylum. The episode says corrupt Border Patrol agents take bribes from human traffickers. The ending says the LAPD will help stop that corruption and supports asylum for the family. This message is clear but limited to one late-season case.
20%
Identity-driven story themes
The late third-season episode “Coyote Ugly” centers on a Mexican father and daughter who seek safety after crossing the border. The story treats their family as victims of a corrupt border system and ends with political asylum. The episode ties identity and immigration status to the main case. Most of the series follows grief, family, police work, and friendship instead.
18%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The episode “Coyote Ugly” presents corrupt Border Patrol agents as bribe-taking human traffickers. The LAPD exposes the abuse and protects the Mendoza family. Season 1's “Lawmen” also shows sheriff deputies using planted evidence. The show keeps its main police heroes as protectors, so the criticism appears only in a few cases.
28%
Woke character or canon changes
Not present in this title.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
A right-leaning NewsBusters article attacked “Coyote Ugly” for showing Border Patrol agents as corrupt traffickers and for granting asylum to the family. The article called the episode a pro-illegal-immigration story. One Metacritic user also complained that the show had too much political correctness. Most fan anger instead focused on Crawford's firing, Riggs' death, and the Season 3 recast.
18%
Creator track record context
Not present. No key creators have documented histories of activist, political, or identity-driven work.
0%
Production
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