ABC has renewed R.J. Decker for a second season, making the freshman drama part of the network’s final scripted renewal decisions for the 2026-27 season. The move means ABC has now picked up all of its current scripted series for next season, with 10 shows total renewed, including seven dramas and three comedies.
The series premiered in March and debuted behind ABC flagship drama High Potential, then went on to draw more than 15.21 million total viewers across 35 days of multiplatform viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms. The show stars Scott Speedman as a former newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts over as a private investigator in South Florida, with Jaina Lee Ortiz, Bevin Bru, Kevin Rankin and Adelaide Clemens also in the cast. It is inspired by Carl Hiaasen’s novel Double Whammy and produced by 20th Television.
Rob Doherty serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer, alongside executive producers Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman, Carl Hiaasen and Jason Tracey. Speedman is also a producer. The renewal comes after a rocky stretch for the series, which was on the bubble and had a wobbly start; its pilot underwent reshoots following a recasting. That made the pickup less of a formality than the numbers now suggest.
ABC has also been moving through the rest of its scripted slate with an eye on what comes next, and the network is likely to pick up The Rookie: North, a decision that could affect episode orders for some series. For now, the answer to whether R.J. Decker survived is clear: it did, and it will be back for a second season.
