Rapid Insights: ‘Duster’ Reveals How J.J. Abrams Reboots 1970s Noir for Today
Max just released an exciting new crime thriller co-created by J.J. Abrams that represents his first return to TV writing in more than twelve years. Set in the 1970s and named for its protagonist’s sporty Plymouth, the series follows a slick career getaway driver and the FBI agent intent on using him to take down a crime syndicate.
Here’s what you need to know about Duster:
Vault AI uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on specific KPIs:
≤79 Disappointing 80-89 Challenging 90-109 Average 110-119 Promising 120+ Outstanding
Does this show appeal to the typical J.J. Abrams TV audience?
No. For Duster, we’re seeing a viewership that skews heavily to men (66%) and those aged 30+ (73%). Even accounting for the differences in TV platforms, the show appeals significantly more to men than Abrams’ previous series: Lost, Alias, and Fringe all landed best with women (57-62%) in their initial linear broadcast and are now roughly gender-balanced on streaming.
What type of story is Duster telling?
A freewheeling one. The show is a fun, fizzy, eclectic mix of a broad range of genres, with Western (123) showdowns and Action (120)-packed car chases and shootouts welded onto a Crime (130) Thriller (117) framework and topped off with elements of J.J. Abrams’ famous “Mystery (112) Box”–all wrapped in a stylized 1970s package.
Why are viewers tuning in?
For the suspense and excitement. When Tough Guy (129) Jim, a professional getaway driver for a growing crime syndicate, is ensnared by a tenacious FBI agent determined to take them down, his life on the edge careens wildly off course. Audiences are eager to watch Jim try and scheme his way out of trouble as things spiral out of control (Scary Situations, 120), the bodies start piling up, and he’s forced to play a life-or-death game with the ultimate stakes (Dangerous Mission, 135). The show’s high octane Action & Violence (117) also pushes its thrills to another level.
What’s making this show so can’t-look-away bingeable?
Its twists and turns. Jim, as completely at ease within the criminal underworld (Criminal Organization, 116) as working hand in hand with the FBI (Moral Ambiguity, 130), ultimately sets in motion an increasingly chaotic showdown of violent clashes and forceful confrontations between the warring parties. There is plenty of Scheming (124) and Betrayals (112) on both sides. With everyone fighting to come out on top, audiences will be on the edge of their seats.
What will help Duster reach a second season?
Its central partnership. Opposites Attract (120) in the Unlikely Friendship (116) that develops between the cocky, charismatic lawbreaker Jim and the playfully tough, on-the-rise Fed who forces his cooperation. As the FBI’s first Black female agent (US Federal Agency, 114), Nina is determined to take down a criminal empire and prove her worth, while Jim is hellbent on saving his own neck. The grudging-respect-turned-
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