R.J. Decker Becomes ABC’s Most Viewed 10 PM Drama Premiere in Over 5 Years, Attracting More than 11 Million Viewers Across Platforms
ABC’s new crime drama R.J. Decker, featuring Scott Speedman, has debuted strongly within the network’s Tuesday lineup of character-driven procedurals. The premiere attracted 3.69 million Live+Same Day viewers, positioning it behind the network’s 8 PM anchor, Will Trent, and 9 PM’s High Potential, marking ABC’s most-watched 10 PM drama debut in over five years, since Big Sky premiered on November 17, 2020.
This performance surpasses the Live+Same Day premieres of both High Potential and Will Trent, both of which debuted in the 10 PM slot.
Additionally, R.J. Decker, which shares thematic elements with High Potential—both are comedic dramas featuring civilians solving crimes through observation—is proving to be an effective lead-out. It has recorded a lead-in retention rate of 73%, higher than any episode of The Rookie following High Potential.
Within its first six days, R.J. Decker has attracted 11.64 million multiplatform viewers across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and via two linear encores, maintaining the top daily position on Hulu/Disney+ for several days. By comparison, High Potential‘s debut in 2024 achieved similar viewership in just three days.
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In R.J. Decker, Speedman portrays a former newspaper photographer and ex-con seeking a fresh start as a private investigator. The premiere episode also garnered 5.25 million viewers in Live+3.
The second episode airs tonight on ABC and will be available for streaming on Hulu the following day. In this episode, Wish seeks R.J.’s assistance with an unusual case involving the wrongful accusation of murder against his late cellmate’s son.
