Disney+ Finds Its Next Global Hit in ABC’s Newest 80%-Rated Crime Series

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Published Oct 1, 2026, 9:43 PM EDT

Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with extensive experience. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy, and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. With his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's tackled a wide variety of articles.

Most of Disney+'s big hits belong to major franchises, particularly the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. Loki is climbing back up the charts after the success of Avengers: Endgame Encore, and Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord became one of the streamer's biggest hits of the year. Surprisingly, Disney+ has found a new hit that doesn't feature any superheroes or spaceships, but still connects with audiences worldwide. Per FlixPatrol, this series is topping Disney+'s Top 10 charts worldwide and proving to be quite a draw.

So what series is outmatching the Avengers and the Rebel Alliance? It's none other than R.J. Decker, which debuted in March. Based on Carl Hiaasen's novel Double Whammy, R.J. Decker follows Scott Speedman's titular private eye as he picks up the pieces of his life after an incident that cost him his career as a photojournalist and landed him in jail for eighteen months. Decker tackles cases ranging from the straightforward to the strange, while reconnecting with his old cellmate, Aloysius "Wish" Aiken (Kevin Rankin), who now owes a bar, and his ex-wife, Catherine Delacroix (Adelaide Clemens).

'R.J. Decker' Blends Crime-Solving With Screwball Comedy

R.J. Decker talking to a woman on a patio in 'R.J. Decker'

Throughout Season 1, R.J. Decker quickly established a blend of crime-solving, comedy, and catharsis. R.J. often finds himself in the middle of a case that escalates when he least expects it, forcing him to think outside the box. The episode "In Vanity Veritas" is a perfect example: it opens with R.J. trailing a woman whose husband thinks she's cheating. Once the woman enters a fancy house, it immediately blows up, shifting his case to a murder investigation. Most of the humor also comes from R.J.'s interactions with Catherine, as, in a twist, they actually get along well despite their divorce; it's Catherine's wife, Mel (Bevin Blu), who's hostile toward him — which makes things more complicated, as Mel is the detective that R.J. has to go to for info.

R.J. Decker also works thanks to Scott Speedman's performance. Speedman brings an easygoing demeanor to R.J., often deflecting questions or accusations with wry humor. Yet there are moments when he reflects on his past actions and how they upended his life, giving viewers a deeper look into what drives him to solve crimes. His complicated relationship with Emilia "Emi" Ochoa (Jaina Lee Ortiz) also adds plenty of depth to the series. While R.J. and Emi are drawn to each other, she also got him in trouble, and he hasn't forgotten it. Anyone who's watched the Underworld movies knows that Speedman is no stranger to complicated romances, and this twist adds plenty of drama to R.J. Decker's story.

'R.J. Decker' Continues ABC's Trend of Off-Beat Procedurals

R.J. Decker's success cements ABC as the network where procedurals can step outside the box, thanks to similar series like High Potential and Will Trent, which have made a splash. Its creator, Robert Doherty, is no stranger to high-concept procedurals, thanks to his work on Elementary. With R.J. Decker returning for Season 2, Doherty intends to raise the stakes thanks to the murder of Emi's father, Victor, driving a wedge between her and R.J. There's also the matter of R.J.'s estranged father, Reggie (Beau Bridges), entering the picture, as Doherty told TVLine that viewers will learn more about what shaped R.J. into the man he currently is.

"One of the things we wanted to do in the second season was to look more closely at who R.J. is, aside from the fact that he spent 18 months in prison for something he only sort of did. We'll learn a little bit more about what R.J.'s childhood was like, and we'll explore the path that led him here... a fair amount of that can be traced back to what it was like growing up with the kind of dad he had."

Thanks to a great leading man in Scott Speedman, a story that balances humor and crime-solving, and a hook that makes it stand out from the pack, R.J. Decker has become a bona fide success. Hopefully, that success will continue for multiple seasons.