ABC orders RJ Decker drama based on Double Whammy

ABC has given a series order to RJ Decker, an hourlong drama starring Scott Speedman, for the 2025-26 broadcast season with a midseason premiere planned. The show, adapted by Rob Doherty from Carl Hiaasen’s 1987 novel Double Whammy, follows the title character, a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts anew as a private investigator operating in South Florida.

Speedman will lead the cast as RJ Decker. Series regulars include Kevin Rankin as Aloysius Wish Aiken, Deckers former cellmate who now owns a bar; Adelaide Clemens as Catherine Delacroix, Deckers ex and a journalist; and Bevin Bru as Melody Romero, a Fort Lauderdale police detective and Catherine’s wife. The role of Shay Bennett, played in the pilot by Weruche Opia, will be recast for the series. The pilot was shot in North Carolina; the primary filming location for the series has not been announced.

Doherty, who previously adapted crime drama for television, wrote the pilot and will executive produce alongside Hiaasen, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman and director Paul McGuigan, who also executive produces. Speedman is credited as a producer. The series is produced by 20th Television, part of Disney TV...