AceShowbiz - The new ABC crime drama R.J. Decker, starring Scott Speedman, has made a strong debut, fitting seamlessly into the network’s Tuesday lineup of character-driven procedural dramas. The series premiere attracted 3.69 million Live+Same Day viewers, positioning it just behind the 8 PM anchor Will Trent and 9 PM’s High Potential. This marks ABC’s most-watched 10 PM drama premiere in over five years, the highest since Big Sky debuted on November 17, 2020.

The premiere’s viewership surpassed the Live+Same Day numbers of both High Potential and Will Trent, which also launched in the 10 PM hour. Sharing a similar tone with High Potential—both are comedic dramas focused on civilians solving crimes through keen observation—R.J. Decker proved to be an ideal lead-out for Kaitlin Olson’s series. Its premiere achieved the best lead-in retention rate so far at 73%, outperforming any episode of The Rookie in the post-High Potential time slot.

Over six days, the opener of R.J. Decker has amassed a total of 11.64 million multiplatform viewers. This includes audiences across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, digital platforms, and two linear encore airings. It has also maintained the top daily spot on Hulu/Disney+ for several days. By comparison, the 2024 debut of High Potential reached the same viewership milestone in just three days.

Scott Speedman plays a former newspaper photographer and ex-convict who starts anew as a private investigator in R.J. Decker. The series also recorded 5.25 million viewers in the Live+3 ratings. The second episode is scheduled to air tonight on ABC and will be available for next-day streaming on Hulu. In this episode, the character Wish seeks R.J. Decker’s help to solve a strange case involving the son of his late cellmate, who has been falsely accused of murder.