Fall TV: Fox's 'Lethal Weapon,' 'Exorcist' Lead Movie Rehash Trend

Fox isn't the only network looking to old movies for inspiration this fall, but two movie reboots premiere on Fox this week, kicking off a trend that's about to sweep TV. Lethal Weapon is first up, with a Wednesday premiere, and The Exorcist follows not too far behind on Friday.

Of the two reboots, Lethal Weapon is taking the biggest risk. The original 1987 film  became a classic that was highly dependent on its cast; the pairing of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover was the movie's hook, rather than any particularly compelling aspect of the premise. Almost 30 years later, the idea of a police procedural featuring an odd-couple cop duo feels far from fresh, and with Gibson and Glover not on hand, the pressure is on new stars Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford to deliver the kind of chemistry that makes the series worth watching.

The Exorcist is more likely to strike a chord with contemporary audiences, mostly because it's likely to draw on a more up-to-date formula than its namesake movie about demonic possession would suggest. Instead of a faithful remake of the 1973 film, expect the series to follow the lead of modern-day demon movies like The Conjuring and Paranormal Activity, with noisy jump scares and an elaborate backstory about the war between good and evil. Aside from some references to the events of the original film and occasional use of the film's instantly recognizable theme music, the series is not expected have much of a connection to its predecessor.

Lethal Weapon premieres September 21 at 8pm, and The Exorcist premieres September 23 at 9pm. Both series are on Fox.