‘Duster’ Cancelled After One Season!!

Duster has bitten the dust. The Josh Holloway–Rachel Hilson period action thriller, which was co-created by J.J. Abrams, will not be returning for a second season of adventure. Despite critical acclaim, the series did not manage to find a steady audience, and has been cancelled by the newly rebranded HBO Max. The series was originally greenlit in 2020, and was filmed some time ago; the show’s cast and crew have since moved on to other projects.

Deadline reports that Bad Robot, Abrams‘ production company, did attempt to shop the series to other platforms and streamers, but did not come to an agreement with any of them. In a statement, the network expressed gratitude to “amazingly talented co-creators J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, and our partners at Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television. 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.” Despite not catching on with audiences, it was a critical hit, garnering a 92% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

What Is ‘Duster’ About?

Set in the US Southwest in 1972, Duster stars Holloway (reuniting with Abrams for the first time since Lost) as Jim Ellis, a getaway driver working for crime boss Ezra Saxton (Keith David). Saxton is trying to expand his empire, and the FBI is after him; they’ve sent the first Black woman to become an FBI agent, Nina Hayes (Hilson) to stop him. Ellis and Hayes soon become unlikely allies, working to take down Saxton from behind the wheel of Ellis’ trusty 1970 Plymouth Duster. The series also starred Asivak Koostachin (Letterkenny), Benjamin Charles Watson (Designated Survivor), Camille Guaty (Scorpion), Greg Grunberg (Alias), Adriana Aluna Martinez (Star People), and Sydney Elisabeth (The Last O.G.). Before the show’s release, showrunner Morgan talked to Collider‘s Carly Lane about her and Abrams‘ future plans for the show, which include five sketched-out seasons; plans, unfortunately, that will never come to fruition.

Despite the end of Duster, Abrams has a busy slate of projects moving forward. He’s producing the David Robert Mitchell science fiction thriller Flowervale Street, which stars Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway and is slated to be released next summer. He’s also directing a new film himself, his first since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker; as yet untitled, it will star Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega.

Duster has been cancelled after a single season on HBO Max.