According to Deadline, HBO Max has canceled the 1970s crime drama Duster after one season. The series created by J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Cloverfield) and LaToya Morgan (Shameless, The Walking Dead) will not be moving forward with a second season on the streamer. This news comes less than a week after the conclusion of the first season.
As per Deadline, the series that stars Josh Holloway (Yellowstone, Lost) and Rachel Hilson (This Is Us, Kings) was not able to create a vast amount of traction when it came to viewer interest. Duster averaged 92% among critics and 83% among general viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. The series remained in the daily Top 10 on HBO Max but it has not been able to get into the Nielsen Top 10 for streaming originals and barely made Luminate’s list of Top 50 streaming originals in its fourth week at the last #50 spot.
“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 J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, and our partners at Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television,” HBO Max said in a statement via Deadline. “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.”
According to Deadline, Duster was ordered in April 2020 and filmed while ago, with any option of a cast already having expired and not being extended. The cancellation leaves The Pitt as the only current HBO Max original series. The series follows Nina, the first Black female FBI agent, who in 1972 heads to the Southwest and recruits a gutsy getaway driver, the first in a bold effort to take down a growing crime syndicate.
“J.J. 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,” WBTV said in a statement via Deadline. “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.”