Even though it has a 92% Tomatometer score and 83% Popcornmeter score, HBO Max has canceled the crime thriller seriesDusterless than a week after the season 1 finale was released on July 3. The series, which was first ordered in April 2020,reunited Josh Holloway and J.J. Abramsafter they both previously worked onLost.
Holloway ledDuster’s castas Jim Ellis, a getaway driver for criminal kingpin Ezra Saxton (Keith David) in 1970s Arizona. When Jim learns that Saxton may have been responsible for the death of his brother, Joey, he secretly begins working with the FBI agent Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson) to learn the truth.
According toDeadline,HBO Max has now canceledDuster. The decision is likely due to low viewership, as the show never made it into the Nielsen Top 10 for original streaming shows and only ever managed to reach the 50th spot in Luminate’s list of Top 50 streaming originals during its fourth week.
Since filming took place long before the show’s debut,the options on the cast expired and were not extended. There were reportedly attempts by Warner Bros. TV and Bad Robot to find a different streaming home, but these efforts did not pan out. Check out HBO Max’s statement about the cancelation below:
While HBO Max will not be moving forward with a second season ofDuster,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. 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.
What This Means For Duster
Many Storylines Are Left Unfinished
HBO Max’s decision to cancelDusterhas more to do with business and less to do with being dissatisfied by the show itself. Theviewership was not where it needed to be for a renewal, but the show already had a challenging road ahead due to the cast’s options expiring and not being extended.
As indicated by the Rotten Tomatoes scores,Duster’s reviewswere excellent, and general audiences enjoyed the show as well. HBO Max seems to have been happy to have partnered with Abrams, LaToya Morgan, Holloway, Hilson, and the rest of the cast of crew, but this was not enough to warrant a renewal.
In terms of the story,Dusterseason 1’s endingwrapped up Jim and Nina’s conflict with Saxton, butmany other storylines were left unresolved. The devastating and game-changing truth about Joey’s death set up a very different story for season 2, and there was still much more to learn about the larger political conspiracy Saxton played a role in.
The dynamic between Jim and Nina had also shifted considerably from where it began. A shocking reveal about Izzy Reyna (Camille Guaty) also came out to make the stakes even more personal for Jim and for Luna Reyna (Adriana Aluna Martinez) in season 2, and now there is no resolution to this cliffhanger.
It Continues A Frustrating Trend
Image via Max
WithDusterbeing one of my favorite news shows of 2025, I amdeeply disappointed by the cancelation. It was a good, old-fashioned, and fun crime thriller with intriguing plot twists and an all-star cast, with Holloway proving that it had been far too long since he played the lead of a great show.
The series also tackled important social issues, including the prejudices Nina and her work partner, Awan Bitsui (Asivak Koostachin), encounter due to her being the first Black female FBI agent and because of him being Navajo. There was also the matter of Izzy and her fellow female truckers fighting for better working conditions.
I am glad that the Saxton storyline and that many ofDusterseason 1’s biggest mysteries were solved, but it is frustrating that there will be no follow-through for the tantalizing season 2 setup. Regardless of the business reasons behind HBO Max’s decisions, it isincredibly frustrating to see another promising original show come to a premature end.
