‘Duster’: Fast, Funky, Fun

Despite being the first new TV show from J.J. Abrams in more than a decade (remember Fringe (2010-2015)?) the Max series Duster seems to be driving speedily below the radar. It’s been solidly in Max’s list of top 10 shows, but it certainly hasn’t been a breakout hit like the streamer’s recent hospital drama The Pitt or Hulu’s Paradise. That’s a shame because Duster, with its early-‘70s Phoenix, Arizona, setting, killer cast, and overall just-shy-of-believable vibe is exactly the type of summer show that should be on everyone’s must-watch list.

It’s the story of a young, Black FBI agent named Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson, luminous) on her first big case partnering with a caddish mob driver Jim Ellis (Josh Holloway, famous from being Sawyer in Lost) to take down a crime lord (Keith David, garrulous, dangerous, and charming). She butts up against an almost uniformly white, male staff with the help of her half-Navajo partner, Agent Bitsui (Asivak Koostachin). Ellis, meanwhile, is trying to figure out who really killed his beloved brother while protecting his ex, Izzy (Camille Guaty), and their daughter Luna (Adriana Aluna Martinez). And he drives a really cool car (the 1970 Plymouth Duster of the title) that is frequently involved in old-school high-speed chases.

Abrams developed the show with LaToya Morgan, a TV writer known for TURN: Washington Spies, The Walking Dead, and Into the Badlands. At an ATX Television Festival panel in June, Morgan talked about the meetings with Abrams that led to a show that feels cool (car chases, fist fights, incredible pantsuits!) while grounding its characters in relatable emotions and familiar Abrams themes, like the tricky relationships between fathers and sons.
The tone is set right away with a dazzling animated opening sequence with music composed by Abrams himself. Each episode adds an element to the sequence; by the finale, those titles were chock-full of references to each of the season’s episodes.

The primary cast is excellent, but it’s also got reliable ringers including Greg Grunberg, Corbin Bernsen, Gail O’Grady, Evan Jones, and Patrick Warburton as series regulars.

The show wobbles a bit trying to balance some of those excellent family dramas, crime hijinks, and character beats in relief with a set of alt-reality bits that include Colonel Tom Parker and a conspiracy involving Richard Nixon and Howard Hughes. And at times it gets too clever-but-confusing for its own good. But the propulsive finale, “66 Reno Split,” rights the ship by answering most of the show’s ongoing questions while pruning a few major characters and opening up one big surprise plot point for a presumed next season.

Duster deserves that second season: it’s the rare throwback show that — unlike shows such as Stranger Things — doesn’t feel gimmicky as a period piece, with miles of style to spare, from its wardrobe choices to its gorgeous desert shots to frequent needle drops that are groovy and authentic without being overly familiar.

Duster is that rare series on the streaming landscape: well-crafted, doesn’t take itself overly seriously as awards bait, and is above all else fun to watch. It’s the type of show when, after spending minutes trying to kill each other, Ellis and a contract hitman named Enrique the Blade almost break a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon in the fight. The hitman looks at the bottle, stricken. They decide to share a drink together and work out a truce, instead.
In the same episode, a Looney Tunes Road Runner cartoon is transformed into a dream sequence featuring the hitman and Ellis.

We don’t get a lot of TV shows where the showrunners and cast seem to be having as much fun making the series as the audience does watching it. And it doesn’t hurt that, with an experienced crew, it’s also supremely well-executed.

Don’t miss Duster, it’s a blast.