'Gotham's Survival May Depend on 'Lethal Weapon's Failure

The future of Gotham may depend on the failure of another Warner Bros. Television series currently airing on Fox.

Gotham is currently on the bubble for renewal at the network, but Warner Bros. Television is reportedly prioritizing another series, Lethal Weapon, over the Batman prequel.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Of the bubble shows, Lethal Weapon is the priority as producers Warner Bros. TV are trying to hammer out a deal with a new star before Monday's upfront presentation." The report goes on to state that, "Should that not work, Fox would renew the studio's DC Comics drama Gotham instead, sources say."

So the fate of Gotham may depend entirely on whether Warner Bros. Television can quickly find a replacement for Clayne Crawford, the actor who played Martin Riggs on Lethal Weapon. Crawford was recently fired from the show, reportedly for behavioral issues on set.

Fox's upfront presentation is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Monday, The clock is ticking for both Gotham and Lethal Weapon.

However, it's possible that Gotham could survive even if Fox passes on the series. Another network could swoop in to save the series, as was the case with Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Alternatively, Warner Bros. is on the cusp of launching the DC Universe streaming service. So far the network is slated to be the home of the new live-action Titans and Swamp Thing series, as well as the new Harley Quinn animated series and revived Young Justice animated series. Gotham would likely be right at home on the service.

Gotham received a sizable rating spike in its penultimate episode, which may help its case for renewal. The spike was likely at least partly due to the introduction of the character Jeremiah, who is basically the Joker in all but name. The series is set to dive into the classic Batman storyline "No Man's Land" with the season finale.

Whether the show actually gets to tell that story remains to be seen, but executive producer Danny Cannon told ComicBook.com that the finale will serve as a kind of reboot for the series should it continue into its fifth season.

"Like I said, the catastrophic event, the cataclysmic event that happens in the last three episodes not only will change Gotham, it not only combines so many characters that you don't think will cooperate with each other, but it changes the face of Gotham forever, so that season five, it's almost a reboot and a different show," Cannon said.

The Gotham Season Four finale episode, "A Dark Knight: No Man's Land," airs Thursday, May 17th at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.