R.J. Decker
2026 American crime drama television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
R.J. Decker is an American crime drama television series created by Robert Doherty and inspired by the novel Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen. The series stars Scott Speedman in the titular role and premiered on ABC on March 3, 2026.
| R.J. Decker | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Robert Doherty |
| Inspired by | Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Sean Callery |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 42–45 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | March 3, 2026 – present |
Premise
The series follows R.J. Decker, disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con, as he "starts over as a private investigator in the colorful-if-crime-filled world of South Florida, tackling cases that range from slightly odd to outright bizarre with the help of his journalist ex, her police detective wife, and a shadowy new benefactor, a woman from his past who could be his greatest ally... or his one-way ticket back to prison."[1]
Cast
Main
- Scott Speedman as R.J. Decker, a former photojournalist who was jailed for eighteen months for assault and now makes a living as a private investigator
- Jaina Lee Ortiz as Emilia "Emi" Ochoa, a woman who sent R.J. to prison at the order of her corrupt father who is a state senator
- Kevin Rankin as Aloysius "Wish" Aiken, R.J.'s former cellmate and a current bar owner
- Adelaide Clemens as Catherine Delacroix, R.J.'s bisexual ex-wife and a journalist
- Bevin Bru as Melody "Mel" Abreu, Catherine's current wife and a detective at Fort Lauderdale Police Department
Recurring
- Mélodie Rose Romano as Sofia, Mel's daughter and Catherine's stepdaughter
Guest
- David Zayas as Victor Ochoa,[2] Emi's father and a corrupt Florida state senator
- Stephen Bishop as Bruce Vinkour[2]
Episodes
| No. | Title [3] | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [3] | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Paul McGuigan | Robert Doherty | March 3, 2026 | 1XHK01 | 3.69[4] |
| 2 | "Twenty Pounds of Clem in a Ten-Pound Bag" | Paul McGuigan | Robert Doherty | March 10, 2026 | 1XHK02 | 3.25[5] |
| 3 | "The Needle and the Damage Done" | Tara Nicole Weyr | Liz Friedman | March 17, 2026 | 1XHK04 | 3.10[6] |
| 4 | "In Vanity Veritas" | Holly Dale | Ken Biller | March 24, 2026 | 1XHK05 | 3.11[7] |
| 5 | "Burn Notice" | Christine Moore | Jason Tracey | March 31, 2026 | 1XHK03 | 2.99[8] |
| 6 | "Brenner's Back" | Michael Lehmann | Jamie Savarese | April 7, 2026 | 1XHK06 | 3.00[9] |
| 7 | "You've Got Bale" | Seith Mann | Juan Carlos Fernandez | April 14, 2026 | 1XHK07 | 3.10[10] |
| 8 | "Burn the Boats" | Ken Biller | Jason Tracey | April 21, 2026 | 1XHK08 | 3.27[11] |
| 9 | "Even Walls Fall Down" | Christine Moore | Robert Doherty | April 28, 2026 | 1XHK09 | TBD |
Production
Development
The pilot was ordered by ABC in May 2025,.[12] In September 2025, R.J. Decker was ordered to series. The series was created by Robert Doherty who was expected to executive produce alongside Carl Hiaasen, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman, and Paul McGuigan.[13] Paul McGuigan directed the pilot.[14]
Casting
In June 2025, Scott Speedman was cast to star.[15] In July 2025, Weruche Opia, Kevin Rankin, Adelaide Clemens, and Bevin Bru joined the main cast.[16][17] In November 2025, Jaina Lee Ortiz joined the cast in recasting, replacing Opia.[18] In April 2026, David Zayas and Stephen Bishop were cast in recurring roles.[2]
Filming
The pilot was filmed in the summer of 2025 in Wilmington, North Carolina and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Filming for the remainder of the first season commenced in November 2025 in Wilmington, North Carolina, and is scheduled to continue through April 2026.[19][17]
Release
Reception
Critical response
The series holds a 75% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 critic reviews.[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable".[23]
Ratings
The premiere of R.J. Decker drew 3.69 million Live+Same Day viewers and aired behind Will Trent at 8:00 p.m. and High Potential at 9:00 p.m. The broadcast represented ABC's most-watched 10:00 p.m. drama debut in more than five years, since the premiere of Big Sky on November 17, 2020.[24] The premiere's Live+Same Day audience was higher than those of High Potential and Will Trent, which also debuted in the 10:00 p.m. time slot. As a lead-out to High Potential, the series recorded a lead-in retention rate of 73%, exceeding that of The Rookie in the same slot. Within six days of its release, the premiere accumulated 11.64 million multi-platform viewers across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, digital platforms, and linear encores. Over this period, it also ranked No. 1 on daily streaming charts on Hulu and Disney+.[25]
