A network television series that shoots in the Wilmington area has announced its season two premiere date. The show also released a new teaser trailer this week.
Set to The Beach Boys song "Good Vibrations," the upbeat season two teaser for ABC's "R.J. Decker" features fast cuts of a severed hand in a cooler, a police chase and a disheveled man shooting a rocket launcher as the series' eponymous star, Scott Speedman, intones, "We solve crime a little differently down here" in Florida, where the show is set.
According to the trailer, "R.J. Decker" season two will premiere Tuesday, Sept. 15, on ABC and be available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
The trailer doesn't feature many recognizable Wilmington locations, but a scene in a trailer park
where Decker lived in season one was shot at Castle Hayne "organic artist retreat" Walker World.
"R.J. Decker," which stars Canadian actor Scott Speedman ("Felicity," "Grey's Anatomy") as the crime-solving, ex-con private eye of the title, shot its pilot episode in the Wilmington area in the summer of 2025. It returned in November 2025 to shoot eight more episodes, wrapping production on its first season in early April.
The show has been shooting its second season here this summer. According to film permits filed with the city of Wilmington, locations include downtown Wilmington, Flea Body’s Antique Mall on Market Street, Churchill Drive in the Glen Meade neighborhood and One Tree Hill Way in Love Grove.
The show is set in South Florida, and a good bit of season one was shot there, from B-roll establishing shots to full scenes.
Based on a 1987 novel by best-selling author Carl Hiassen titled "Double Whammy," each episode of "R.J. Decker" solves a self-contained mystery while also weaving in ongoing threads concerning Decker's reporter ex-wife (Adelaide Clemens of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"); his ex's policewoman wife (Bevin Bru of "Batwoman"); and a mysterious woman tied to a powerful family (Jaina Lee Ortiz of "Rosewood").
The show's season one ratings were mixed but generally strong, with Forbes calling the show "a hit." It regularly appeared in the list of top-5-most-watched shows on Hulu.
John Staton is the arts and culture reporter at the StarNews. You can reach him at jstaton@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington-shot ABC series drops season 2 trailer, premiere date
