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.
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."
The pilot was ordered by ABC in May 2025,. 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. Paul McGuigan directed the pilot.
In June 2025, Scott Speedman was cast to star. In July 2025, Weruche Opia, Kevin Rankin, Adelaide Clemens, and Bevin Bru joined the main cast. In November 2025, Jaina Lee Ortiz joined the cast in recasting, replacing Opia.
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.
The series premiered on ABC on March 3, 2026.
The series holds a 75% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable".