R.J. Decker Season 2 Trailer Sends Scott Speedman Into an Even Wilder Florida Mystery

If R.J. Decker thought surviving his first season was difficult, somebody apparently decided he needed rocket launchers and severed body parts added to his list of problems. The new R.J. Decker Season 2 trailer has arrived, giving viewers their best look yet at Scott Speedman’s return as Florida’s scruffy private investigator, and things certainly have not gotten any easier for him. ABC’s crime drama is still embracing the strange cases, dark humor and Florida weirdness that helped establish its personality during Season 1, but the new footage suggests the consequences are about to become much bigger.

One of the trailer’s standout moments finds R.J. narrowly escaping an attack involving a rocket launcher. When Emi points out the increasingly obvious problem of people now firing rockets at him, R.J. is much more concerned with the fact that the rocket missed. Sir, that is not exactly the reassuring part of this situation. Still, the exchange perfectly captures the tone that made the first season work. R.J. Decker can put its title character in legitimate danger without suddenly turning into an overly serious crime drama, because R.J. remains R.J. even when someone is apparently making a serious effort to blow him up.

And somehow, a rocket launcher might not even be the strangest thing waiting for him this season. The trailer also shows R.J. and Wish investigating a case involving a severed hand, because apparently a normal missing person case would be far too reasonable for these two. Kevin Rankin’s Wish remains firmly by his friend's side as the pair head into another collection of bizarre Florida mysteries, although at some point we may need to discuss exactly how much friendship should require when body parts start entering the equation.

Underneath the show's wonderfully strange cases, however, there is a much bigger problem hanging over Season 2. Victor Ochoa is dead, and the fallout from his death could change everything for R.J. and the people closest to him. Season 1 ended with Victor found dead in his swimming pool after R.J. and his crew had finally brought him down, immediately creating questions about who killed him and why. Speedman has teased that the death raises the stakes for the group, especially since they had plenty of reasons to want Victor out of the picture.

Victor's death also makes R.J.'s relationship with Emi considerably more complicated. After spending much of the first season dancing around their feelings, the two finally started moving toward an actual relationship, only for Emi's father to turn up dead. That is not exactly the easiest way to begin the honeymoon phase. Jaina Lee Ortiz returns as Emi, while Bevin Bru is back as Detective Mel Abreu, Adelaide Clemens returns as R.J.'s ex-wife Catherine and Rankin returns as Wish. Speedman has also indicated that Season 2 will continue exploring R.J.'s personal life and his unconventional relationship with Emi while the larger mystery unfolds.

What makes the R.J. Decker Season 2 trailer promising is that the series does not appear interested in reinventing itself just because the stakes have increased. The colorful Florida setting, unusual investigations, dark comedy and R.J.'s almost impressive ability to make questionable decisions are all still here. Instead of abandoning that formula, Season 2 appears to be building on it by putting the characters viewers already know directly in the middle of the mystery.

That could be exactly what the series needs for its sophomore season. R.J. spent much of Season 1 chasing stories and getting himself into situations he probably should have avoided, but Victor's death means the danger is now coming directly to him. Between figuring out who killed Victor, navigating his relationship with Emi, dodging people who apparently have access to rocket launchers and searching Florida for missing body parts, R.J. might finally discover there are easier ways to make a living. Then again, watching him choose one of those would not be nearly as entertaining.

R.J. Decker Season 2 premieres Tuesday, September 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, with episodes streaming the following day on Hulu.