You know how every television feels or looks the same nowadays? The same can’t be said about Duster. It’s a slick, cool crime drama set in the ’70s, swaggering with the rebellious attitude of the era. It also features Josh Holloway in a role he’s born to play as the smooth operator and getaway driver Jim Ellis, who cruises around in an ever-stylish 1970 Plymouth Duster 340 and throws down like an action hero. So, why oh why did this series get shot in the kneecaps after only a single season? Because this business is more brutal than the criminals on the show.
There’s a saying in the entertainment industry that the first season of any show is discovering the voice of the story and who the characters are. It’s the reason that a second season of a series is almost always better, since everyone feels more confident in what they’re doing. In the case of Duster, this isn’t a problem. It’s one of those rare shows where everyone is on the same page and clicking from the opening scene. It’s all gas, no brakes – to quote WWE superstar Jacob Fatu.
Duster accelerates into high gear from a simple setup: Jim works with the FBI’s first Black agent Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson) to put away his boss Ezra Saxton (Keith David) after he believes that Ezra had something to do with the death of his brother. For Jim, it’s a risky move, since Ezra is a powerful crime boss who could destroy him, but also because Nina struggles to get the backing of the FBI due to prejudice. Jim and Nina need to lean on each other and navigate this murky situation to ensure that both come out alive in the end.
It’s an action-packed, never-boring show that comes from the minds of J. J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan. According to Morgan, the pair reviewed a few scripts she had written while Abrams told her about a single scene he had in his head for two decades: Josh Holloway driving a muscle car into the middle of the desert and using a phone booth, which ironically became the opening scene of Duster too. They put their heads together and fleshed out what would become the show – and yes, there was no question it was meant to star Holloway, who already knew Abrams from their time working together on Lost.
“[Abrams] called me out of the blue, and before he could even finish his name, I was like, ‘Yes, J. J., yes. What are we doing?'” Holloway told Inverse. “It was immediate, I wanted to do whatever he was pitching. And that was it.”
Flick through any of the streaming platforms and Duster stands out as a unique series that should easily appeal to older and new fans. Those who grew up on Starsky & Hutch, The Six Billion Dollar Man, or Kojak appreciate how this era’s storytelling stands out and remains memorable to this day, while newer generations might just appreciate the retro throwback to a cool period in humanity’s history.
As it turns out, it took quite a while for Duster to come to fruition. Discussions took place before the pandemic, they shot footage, recastings happened, then the internal shake-ups at HBO further delayed the show’s arrival to 2025. When it debuted, though, the praise rolled in for the series.
Holloway, though, already had apprehensions about a second season of Duster. “I feel like it’s a no brainer because the show is amazing,” he told Esquire. “We got 92 percent of Rotten Tomatoes. We’re killing it in the press. But I don’t understand streaming anymore. I don’t understand how they make their decisions. Artistically, it’s a no brainer. But financially? I don’t know.”
Despite the success, Duster didn’t hit the numbers that the executives wanted, failing to hit the Nielsen Top 10. And that was that. No second chances, as the plug was pulled right after the season finale. It’s a shame, because Duster is the type of original programming that should be backed and given the time to establish itself. Instead, the audience is condemned to the purgatory known as endless seasons of Love Island.
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Duster is out now on Showmax.
