Why does R.J. Decker season 2 have only 7 episodes? The finale has aired, and ABC still hasn't announced season 3

R.J. Decker wrapped season 2 on October 27, 2026, with "Before You Accuse Me," the seventh and final episode of a run that started on September 15. Scott Speedman's photojournalist-turned-private-eye now has 16 episodes to his name across two seasons, fewer than one old-school broadcast season. ABC still hasn't said whether there will be a season 3.

ABC has never given an official reason for the short order. The schedule explains most of it.

Why season 2 is so short

Season 1 premiered in March as a midseason show: nine episodes, March 3 to April 28. ABC renewed it in May, and according to MickeyBlog, it got off the bubble on Hulu, since it never matched the linear ratings of Will Trent or High Potential. Then ABC gave it the best seat in the house.

The network pulled High Potential out of the fall entirely and held it for 2027, so R.J. Decker could have the Tuesday 10 p.m. slot behind Dancing With the Stars. ABC's scheduling chief Ari Goldman told TheWrap the move wasn't creative: ABC wants to keep using "that launch pad of 'Dancing with the Stars'" for newer shows, and High Potential didn't need it.

"Season 2 was always designed to be this short."

— Matt Roush, TV Insider, answering fans

Roush also pointed out that an order that small "naturally raises red flags" about how much the network believes in the show, and said the decision was more likely about money and programming than creative. Seven episodes fit neatly into a fall slot behind a dance competition. They don't leave much room for a bad week.

The audience showed up anyway. The season 1 premiere drew 3.69 million live viewers and 11.64 million across platforms within six days, and the season 2 premiere hit 9.61 million cross-platform over seven days, per Just Jared.

What happens in the finale

Emi (Jaina Lee Ortiz) hires R.J. to look into a police officer's murder and clear the man accused of it, a case that puts him at odds with Mel (Bevin Bru). Together they expose the officer's widow, Jessica, as a serial scammer who may have killed her husband for the life insurance, TVLine recaps, and CPS takes her daughter Danielle away.

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Then comes the cliffhanger:

• The call: Jessica phones Mel and says she doesn't know who she is without Danielle. She tells Mel to wonder who she'll be without her own family.
• The house: Jessica is outside Catherine (Adelaide Clemens) and Sofia's (Mélodie Rose Romano) home, watching.
• The distance: R.J. and Mel are miles away at a trailer park.

Bru told TVLine she has a rescue plan for season 3, minus one part showrunner Rob Doherty shot down. The plan involved using an elderly neighbor as a decoy, and his response was, "No, we're not going to sacrifice Estelle."

"Now we need a Season 3, because what's going to happen?"

— Bevin Bru, to TVLine

Will there be a season 3?

ABC hasn't decided. The midseason lineup is already crowded: High Potential is coming back in 2027, and The Rookie: North is waiting for a slot too. Early 2027 for R.J. Decker would be possible, but nothing's been confirmed.

ABC just spent a season treating R.J. Decker as the show worth giving its Dancing With the Stars lead-in to. Leaving Catherine and Sofia with a con artist parked outside their house would be an odd way to follow up on that investment.

Previously we wrote: What happened to Tina's husband in Tulsa King? You didn't miss his exit — there wasn't one