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ABC is running a bit light on crime dramas this fall. Its breakout hit, High Potential, was held back for the midseason for the first time for Season 3, putting it on a similar schedule to the network’s fellow sleuth, Will Trent, which is heading into Season 4. Meanwhile, Nathan Fillion‘s The Rookie is also set to pair up with its new Jay Ellis-led spin-off, The Rookie North, on Wednesdays starting in early January. As the cherry on top, the lone crime series remaining wrapped up its sophomore season last month after a shortened seven-episode run that left off with a major cliffhanger and many questions about its future.
R.J. Decker Season 2 wasn’t a guarantee to begin with. Despite strong reviews from critics and a solid start on ABC in terms of viewership, the quirky South Florida-set mystery series wasn’t quite the runaway success that its Kaitlin Olson-led peer was upon its debut. However, a strong following on streaming ultimately helped save Scott Speedman‘s titular photojournalist-turned-ex-con-private eye from the bubble for another round to answer the question of who killed Victor Ochoa and to keep solving some bonkers crimes from the Sunshine State. Once more, though, linear ratings left something to be desired at a reported average of around 4.5 million multiplatform viewers in the first seven days, and the shortening of the procedural from an already short nine episodes to just seven, combined with a finale airing before Halloween, seems to indicate the show may be in jeopardy.
Any answers about R.J.’s future aren’t likely to come anytime soon. Over two weeks after the Season 2 finale, ABC hasn’t handed down a renewal or given any indication that another trip to Florida will be in order. The soonest an answer could realistically come would likely be in January, as the Disney-owned network starts to sort out which series will remain for the next year’s schedule. Given that it came down to the wire last time and the low linear viewership again, it’s more likely that R.J. Decker will be kept waiting again until around April, before upfronts in May. Series creator Rob Doherty‘s decision to end on such a critical cliffhanger jeopardizing Mel’s (Bevin Bru) family, though, suggests at least some hope that the show will live to fight another day.
Where Could ‘R.J. Decker’ Go With Season 3?
Should R.J. Decker return, Season 3 will undoubtedly follow up on that final twist that saw Catherine (Adelaide Clemens) and her daughter Sofia (Mélodie Rose Romano) in grave danger when Jessica (Meredith Garretson) puts them in her sights. Once R.J. and Mel exposed her crimes and the possibility that she may have killed her own husband for the insurance money, child protective services came to take her daughter away, spurring her to return the favor to Mel. Coupled with R.J.’s developing romantic life now with two love interests between Emi (Jaina Lee Ortiz) and the newcomer in his world, Trudy (Shantel VanSanten), there’s still plenty of ground to explore with the characters beyond the colorful crimes they solve.
Speaking to TV Line, Bru shared that, while she’s unaware of any Season 3 developments, she thinks there’s a good case to make for Season 3. Beyond being a streaming mainstay, there are few shows quite like it that have a lighter, sillier tone in such a compact package, a fact that makes her hopeful ABC will ultimately keep the crimes coming.
“That’s another case for R.J. to crack, the mystery of Season 3. I haven’t heard anything, but everyone I’ve talked to loves the show, even overseas. We’re always Top 10 everywhere, here and overseas, every week on Hulu and Disney+. So I believe in my heart that people are enjoying the show. I just think it’s a fun, light show. Especially given all the heavy stuff that’s always happening in the world, it’s nice to have this show that’s quirky, it wraps up, we have awesome guest stars, and it’s just nice TV. I’m hopeful for Season 3.”
R.J. Decker Season 2 is now streaming on Hulu. Stay tuned here at Collider for further updates on the future of the series.
- Release Date
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March 3, 2026
- Directors
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Paul McGuigan, Christine Moore, Holly Dale, Kenneth Biller, Michael Lehmann, Seith Mann
- Writers
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Robert Doherty, Jason Tracey, Liz Friedman, Jamie Savarese, Juan Carlos Fernandez, Kenneth Biller
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https://collider.com/rj-decker-season-3-abc-renewal-status/
Ryan O’Rourke
Almontather Rassoul
