‘R.J. Decker’ Season 2 Episode 2 Release Date, Time, and Where to Watch

Scott Speedman’s ABC crime drama is back on the air, and fans who spent the summer waiting for new cases are already looking past the premiere toward what comes next. R.J. Decker returned for Season 2 on Tuesday, September 15 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC, with new episodes hitting Hulu the next day. That launch came with plenty of attention attached to it, and the show now has a clear path forward for its second outing.

The follow up episode has its own identity and its own mystery, and it moves the story away from the premiere’s heist focused plot into something stranger. Episode two, titled “Manos, Hands of Fate,” has R.J. tracking down a missing man connected to a strange object and an even stranger person of interest, while someone close to him gets tangled up in a separate mystery of their own. Here is what viewers need to know about when it airs and how to watch.

‘R.J. Decker’ Season 2 Episode 2 Release Date and Time

The second episode is scheduled for September 22, 2026. That keeps the show on its established Tuesday night slot, one week removed from the season’s crossover heavy debut.

The second episode, titled Manos, Hands of Fate, follows R.J. tracking down a missing man connected to a strange object and an even stranger person of interest, while someone close to him gets pulled into a separate mystery of his own, with a third episode called Arms and Armadillos airing September 29. That gives the show a steady weekly rhythm heading into October.

ABC hasn’t released plot details yet, which tracks with how the network has handled early episode info in past seasons. Viewers should expect the broader strokes of each episode to stay under wraps until closer to air.

Where to Watch ‘R.J. Decker’ Season 2

Viewers who want to catch the show as it airs will need access to ABC through a traditional cable package or a live TV streaming service. That remains the only way to watch each episode the moment it debuts.

Those who prefer to catch up later can rely on Hulu for on demand viewing shortly after broadcast. All of ABC’s new fall shows, including R.J. Decker, are set to stream the day after broadcast on Hulu and Disney Plus.

That gives viewers who miss the live broadcast a next day option without needing a cable subscription. The setup mirrors how most of ABC’s scripted slate is handled this fall.

Inside the ‘Manos, Hands of Fate’ Preview

The second episode leaves behind the bank heist plot that defined the premiere. A reunion with an old prison acquaintance pulls R.J. into a string of daring bank heists as the fallout from Victor Ochoa’s death deepens in the season opener, but episode two shifts toward a standalone case.

The second episode, titled Manos, Hands of Fate, follows R.J. tracking down a missing man connected to a strange object and an even stranger person of interest, while someone close to him gets pulled into a separate mystery of his own. That structure fits the show’s pattern of pairing a case of the week with ongoing personal drama.

The personal thread running alongside the case appears designed to tie back into the show’s core relationships. His past keeps finding him, and every case gets tangled up with Wish, Catherine, or Emi before it’s over. That soapy entanglement of case of the week storytelling and personal baggage is a big part of the show’s appeal.

Cast and the Bigger Picture for Season 2

The series stars Scott Speedman as R.J. Decker, Jaina Lee Ortiz as Emilia “Emi” Ochoa, Bevin Bru as Detective Melody “Mel” Abreu, Kevin Rankin as Aloysius “Wish” Aiken, and Adelaide Clemens as Catherine Delacroix. Beau Bridges joins the cast as Reggie Decker for Season 2.

Rob Doherty is the showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Joining him as EPs are Carl Hiaasen, Carl Beverly, and Sarah Timberman. Paul McGuigan directs and executive produces. That creative team carries over the tone that defined the freshman season.

The renewal itself came quickly. ABC picked up R.J. Decker for Season 2 back in May 2026, barely a few weeks after Season 1 closed out its nine episode run, folding it into a full lineup renewal for 2026-27. Both seasons of the television series were filmed in and around Wilmington and Carolina Beach.

ABC also gave the premiere a scheduling boost that speaks to its confidence in the show. The network aired the Season 35 opener of Dancing With the Stars first, followed immediately by the Season 2 debut of R.J. Decker, putting Scott Speedman’s crime procedural directly in the path of one of television’s biggest unscripted audiences. Pro dancers and real life married couple Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy appeared alongside season 33 champion Joey Graziadei from The Bachelor during that premiere crossover.

With the missing man case and its mysterious object now front and center, viewers who have their own theories about what R.J. is walking into with “Manos, Hands of Fate” have a full week to sort them out before the next episode airs.