ABC’s New Detective Series Is Officially Changing Schedule As Season 2 Renewal Hopes Await

ABC’s detective show, R.J. Decker, is pausing production while the network decides whether to continue with the series.

ABC’s new crime drama, created by Robert Doherty and based on Carl Hiaasen’s 1987 novel Double Whammy, debuted on March 3rd. The show features Scott Speedman as R.J. Decker, a former newspaper photographer and convict trying to rebuild his life as a private investigator in South Florida. Jaina Lee Ortiz, Kevin Rankin, Adelaide Clemens, and Bevin Bru also star in the series.

The show R.J. Decker currently airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. after High Potential. Once High Potential ends its second season on April 7th, R.J. Decker will move to the 9 p.m. timeslot, according to Deadline. Like other ABC shows, episodes of R.J. Decker will be available to stream on Hulu the day after they air.

As a big TV fan, I’ve noticed a familiar pattern with this show’s move. It reminds me of what happened with The Rookie last season. It started behind another new show, High Potential, and then got bumped up to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays. This show is following a similar path – they moved it to make room for R.J. Decker on Mondays, just like they did with The Rookie earlier this year.

Why R.J. Decker Is Changing Its Release Schedule

To get viewers ready for the season 2 premiere of R.J. Decker on April 14th at 9 p.m., ABC will re-air the first three episodes back-to-back on Thursday, April 9th. This shows the network’s confidence in the show and is meant to help R.J. Decker gain more viewers as ABC decides whether to renew it for another season.

Will R.J. Decker Be Renewed For Season 2?

Critics generally liked R.J. Decker, giving it a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Viewers seem to enjoy it too, but with less than 50 ratings, there isn’t a viewer score available yet.

The new ABC drama R.J. Decker got off to a great start with 3.69 million viewers – the highest for a 10 p.m. drama on the network in over five years. Viewership has been consistently solid since then, and the show often ranks among Hulu’s most popular daily programs. While it hasn’t become a massive hit like High Potential just yet, R.J. Decker is looking promising for a second season, even though it’s only been on air for three weeks.

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2026-03-26 22:08