It’s that magical time when TV networks finalize lingering renewals and series cancellations for the year while also revealing upcoming TV schedules for the fall. Which means it’s also the time for studio execs to step out and promote any and all debuting new series, even as the number of scripted arrivals is decreasing. But ABC is still celebrating the massive success of Kaitlin Olson’s smash hit High Potential, and is using that show as a comparison base for a promising new crime dramedy pilot.
Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich shared all kinds of new info about the near-future where ABC’s primetime plans are concerned at the network’s upfronts presentation (via Deadline), and had some early high praise for an impending pilot currently titled RJ Decker, based on the ‘80s novel Double Whammy. Voicing the hope for a quick turnaround that could result in a midseason debut, Erwich said:
I think it’s a pilot that fits very well with the formula that we have at ABC that’s working, which is a really unique way into procedural through a singular character that’s got a unique perspective and a unique take on the world, and I would say, importantly, a really good sense of humor.
A quick rundown on what R.J. Decker is about, which dovetails nicely with the TV head honcho's thoughts above: an ex-con and disgraced photographer enters the sun-soaked noir life of a South Florida private investigator. Not a bad logline for a procedural by any stretch.
How Disney's TV Prez Compared The New Pilot To High Potential
Unfortunately, Craig Erwich didn't get completely unpredictable by revealing High Potential's Kaitlin Olson will ALSO be the star of RJ Decker, since that would be impossible, if also amazing. But he did share the following comparison, with a pair of other hits also namechecked. Having previously voiced his optimism for Olson's Emmy chances, Erwitch said:
You look at Rookie, Will Trent, High Potential, those are shows about characters that see the world in a different way, and they’re really funny. That’s become our franchise, and I think RJ Decker, if it comes out as well as I hope it will, it will fit really well into that.
While neither Will Trent nor The Rookie is as purposefully funny as High Potential all around, the comment about the unique main characters is pretty on point. Will the eventually cast star of RJ Decker be as instantly charismatic as Nathan Filion, Ramon Rodriguez or Kaitlin Olson? That'll be a tough one for the casting squad.
The Extra Reason To Be Excited For RJ Decker
As mentioned, the in-development pilot is based on a novel, and 1987's Double Whammy was penned by author Carl Hiaasen, who is not only generally a great writer with a slew of novels under his metaphorical beltf, but wrote the source material for another one of 2024's best new TV shows, Apple TV+'s Bad Monkey.
Created by Scrubs and Ted Lasso's Bill Lawrence, Bad Monkey stars Vince Vaughn as former South Florida P.I. Andrew Yancy, whose restaurant inspector job gives way to an investigation over a severed arm that takes Yancy all across the Sunshine State and the surrounding islands. Sounds similar enough, no?
Hopefully Bad Monkey, which was published in 2013, is a good indicator of what fans can expect to see if RJ Decker gets ordered to series.
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