ABC’s newest series, R.J. Decker, became a ratings hit just after its first episode — and now it’s coming back for more.
The Scott Speedman-led drama was renewed for Season 2 on Friday, May 8; it was the network’s last ongoing series to be picked up for the 2026-2027 season.
The March 3 premiere was watched by 11.64 million viewers across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, digital platforms, and linear encores through six days. It also beat the combined averages of the competition across the broadcast networks in the 10/9c slot based on linear viewing over three days, with 5.25 million to 4.81 million for CBS’ NCIS: Sydney (3.60 million) and NBC’s NBA coverage (1.21 million). Furthermore, it was the best 10/9c drama debut on ABC among total viewers (3.69 million) in over five years based on Live+Same Day numbers, since Big Sky‘s premiere on November 17, 2020.
That seems to bode well for its future. So, what do we know about R.J. Decker Season 2? Read on for all the latest.
Is R.J. Decker renewed for Season 2?
Yes, it was renewed on May 8.
When will R.J. Decker Season 2 premiere?
The drama did premiere as a midseason series, but that doesn’t mean that it will remain one; it could move to the fall. It will depend on the rest of ABC’s schedule for the 2026-2027 season.
Who’s in the R.J. Decker cast?
The series stars Scott Speedman as R.J. Decker, Jaina Lee Ortiz as Emilia “Emi” Ochoa, Bevin Bru as Detective Melody “Mel” Abreu, Kevin Rankin as Aloysius “Wish” Aiken, and Adelaide Clemens as Catherine Delacroix.
Rob Doherty is the showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Joining him as EPs are Carl Hiaasen, Carl Beverly, and Sarah Timberman. Paul McGuigan directs and executive produces. Scott Speedman is a producer. The series is produced by 20th Television.
What is R.J. Decker about?
R.J. Decker is inspired by Carl Hiaasen’s novel Double Whammy and follows Speedman’s titular “former newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts over as a private investigator in the colorful-if-crime-filled world of South Florida. The series follows him tackling cases that range from slightly odd to outright bizarre with the help of his journalist ex, her police detective wife, and a shadowy woman from his past who could be his greatest ally … or his one-way ticket back to prison.”
What will R.J. Decker Season 2 be about?
The Season 1 finale ended with Emi’s father, the corrupt Victor (David Zayas), dead in his pool. Season 2 will have to reveal who killed him.
“I think the people closest to him will have to find themselves under a magnifying glass,” showrunner Rob Doherty told TV Insider. “Victor copped to being a shady politician, which I hear is a very rare thing. But he confessed to Emi that he maintains relationships with a lot of people that on paper he should not, but he has decided that it’s for the greater good. It makes Fort Lauderdale a safer city and Florida a safer state. So we’ll have to pick our way through some of those people, too. That’ll take some digging for sure. Who was Victor in bed with, and could they have done him in?”
Victor’s murder will also “disrupt the Emi and RJ relationship, not just because each can, will, and should be looked at as suspects, but Emi’s going to carry some guilt. She didn’t see any of this coming, but the truth is she teed him up for an arrest, and the arrest made him a vulnerability to someone else, someone to be identified,” he noted.
R.J. Decker, Season 2, TBA, ABC
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