April 20, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET
A Wilmington-shot ABC TV series has had robust scores since premiering March 3 and not too long ago received moved into a higher time slot, main some business insiders to take a position that it is received a good shot at incomes a second season.
“R.J. Decker,” which stars Canadian actor Scott Speedman (“Felicity,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) because the crime-solving, ex-con personal eye of the title, shot its pilot episode within the Wilmington space in the summertime of 2025. It returned in November 2025 to shoot eight extra episodes, wrapping manufacturing on its first season in early April.
Originally airing at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, the present’s premiere scored almost 3.7 million viewers. That made “R.J. Decker” the most-watched 10 p.m. drama to premiere in 5 years, in line with tales in such business publications as Deadline, which wrote that the present’s first episode had some 11.6 million complete viewers when streaming companies are included.
Each new episode of “R.J. Decker” streams on Hulu (and Disney+ with the Hulu add-on) the Wednesday after it airs on ABC on Tuesday evening.
Forbes known as the present “a hit.” It repeatedly seems in Hulu’s each day record of top-5-most-watched reveals, and it is definitely a fun watch.
Based on a 1987 novel by best-selling creator Carl Hiassen titled “Double Whammy,” every episode solves a self-contained thriller whereas additionally weaving in ongoing threads regarding Decker’s reporter ex-wife (Adelaide Clemens of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”); his ex’s policewoman spouse (Bevin Bru of “Batwoman”); and a mysterious girl tied to a highly effective household (Jaina Lee Ortiz of “Rosewood”).
Wilmington-area areas featured within the present up to now embrace Seabird restaurant in downtown Wilmington; the New Hanover County Courthouse; homes within the Glen Meade neighborhood; the White Front diner; Carolina Beach’s SeaWitch Cafe & Tiki Bar; and Johnnie Mercers Fishing Pier.
In late March, ABC introduced that “R.J. Decker” would transfer to a 9 p.m. time slot on Tuesday beginning April 14. The present’s season finale is scheduled for April 28.
The transfer is claimed by business watchers to be a good signal by way of a second season, with Deadline writing that it is in the end too early to say however that the series is trying “promising for renewal.”
According to a story on TV business web site Hidden Remote, the sooner time slot “will give the show the chance to pull in stronger viewership (and) should help the show’s shots at getting renewed. (The) scheduling change also shows that ABC does have faith in the show and is looking at a second season. If ABC had written the show off, there’d be no point in moving it up an hour.”
A call on the present’s destiny may come as quickly as early May, business watchers say, and a second season will surely be welcome information for the world’s movie business, which has seen only one main undertaking — that may be “R.J. Decker” — shoot right here up to now in 2026.
If “R.J. Decker” does get a second season, it is going to be the primary Wilmington-shot present to take action since Amazon Prime Video mega-hit “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and short-lived FOX comedy “Welcome to Flatch” aired second seasons in 2023. (Edgy Starz series “Hightown” additionally shot for two seasons right here in 2020 and 2022 after taking pictures its first season in Long Island, New York.)
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” grew to become a cultural juggernaut with its third season in 2025, and a sequel film primarily based on the series is scheduled to start shooting in the Wilmington area in late April or early May.
More not too long ago, two different current Wilmington-shot TV series have not been so fortunate.
“The Waterfront,” a gritty drama from Kevin Williamson (“Dawson’s Creek,” the “Scream” motion pictures) about a small-town fishing household that turns to drug smuggling, wasn’t renewed for a second season in 2025 regardless of being one of the watched reveals on Netflix.
And in early April, Amazon Prime Video introduced that “The Runarounds” — a drama about a real-life rock band created by Wilmington author and director Jonas Pate of “Outer Banks” fame — wasn’t returning for a second season.
The band, nevertheless, will proceed, and The Runarounds’ summer season tour consists of stops on the Bonnaroo and High Water music festivals, however not Wilmington.
Of course, even when “R.J. Decker” will get a second season, there isn’t any assure it is going to shoot within the Wilmington space. Parts of the present’s first season, principally (however not completely) establishing pictures, have been filmed in Florida, the place the present is ready.
