JJ Abrams’ HBO show gets canned after a single season

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JJ Abrams’ Duster has been cancelled by HBO Max after just one season, despite the show winning praise from fans since it first aired in May.

Duster marked the reunion between Lost andYellowstone star Josh Holloway and Abrams, who made the new series with LaToya Morgan (Into the Badlands).

The 1970s-set crime caper follows the FBI’s first Black woman agent (Rachel Hilson) who teams up with a charismatic getaway driver, Jim Ellis, to take down a crime syndicate led by Ezra Saxton (Keith David).

In a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly, HBO Max said: “While HBO Max will not be moving forward with a second season of Duster, we are so grateful to have had the chance to work with the amazingly talented co-creators JJ Abrams and LaToya Morgan, and our partners at Bad Robot and Warner Bros Television.”

It continued: “We are tremendously proud of this series led by Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson and we thank them, along with our cast and crew for their incredible collaboration and partnership.”

Warner Bros Television, who co-produced the crime drama, said: “JJ Abrams and LaToya Morgan delivered a thrilling, multi-dimensional crime drama in Duster, with textured characters that took the audience back to the 1970s in a new and innovative way.

“Those characters were brought to life by a wonderful team led by Josh, Rachel, and an extremely talented ensemble cast, along with an expert crew behind the scenes. We are incredibly proud of the show, and while we wish this journey could continue, we are thankful to our partners at HBO Max for the opportunity to tell Jim and Nina’s story.”

The show initially received a lukewarm response from critics since it premiered in the US on HBO Max in May.

At the time of writing, the show has a 92 per cent rating on the review site Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite many fans having praised Duster, the show failed to build a big enough fanbase to warrant a second season.

One fan commented on Reddit: “This show is non-stop fun and portrays the inherent cheesiness of the old 1970s shows.”

Another said: “I’m surprised this show isn’t bigger.”

Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson in ‘Duster’ (HBO)

Speaking about being cast in the show, Holloway said it was an immediate “yes” when Abrams called him up.

“Are you kidding me? He called me up and asked if I had a minute, and the answer is ‘yes’. Always ‘yes’. Whatever he is asking. It was just so exciting to talk to him,” the actor told Variety .

The show’s journey to the screen was arduous. The pilot was shot in 2021 and reshot two years later before production was stalled due to the Writers Guild of America strikes in Hollywood.

“It was quite a journey – life does that to you sometimes,” Holloway told Variety of the show’s delay. “Our perseverance comes through in the show. Usually, with regime changes, they clean the slate a lot. I was proud every time we survived, because it meant they knew they had something good.”

Duster is available to stream in the US on HBO Max. A UK release date is yet to be announced.