RJ Decker just cast a major player from Matlock in a key role — but what does that mean for the CBS show amid its ongoing delays?
Beau Bridges will play RJ’s (Scott Speedman) estranged father, Reggie Decker, according to TVLine. Described as “garrulous, charming and perennially optimistic,” Reggie is a self-proclaimed entrepreneur “with a fondness for empty promises and unreliable behavior.”
The official character description teased that Reggie has been “largely absent in R.J.’s life, with the promise that a ‘life-changing’ score was around the corner.”
“We had the tremendous fortune of bringing Beau Bridges aboard [for season 2],” showrunner Rob Doherty told the outlet. “He’s someone I’ve been watching on TV and in films my whole life. He’s someone I look up, and someone Scott looks up to. We were really thrilled to get him to play R.J.’s dad. He’ll be with us for a couple of episodes.”
While Bridges’ new role on RJ Decker comes as a surprise, the ABC series has been filming season 2 for a while. Matlock, meanwhile, has faced delays after wrapping up several story lines at the end of season 2.
CBS announced its schedule in April, with viewers noticing some substantial changes. Ghosts, Matlock and NCIS: Sydney received a shakeup by having their premieres moved to 2027 for midseason. They will join the new show Einstein, which is finally premiering in 2027 as well.
Matlock’s time slot will be given to Elsbeth to allow Cupertino to premiere on the same night. NCIS: Sydney, meanwhile, is moving to midseason as NCIS: Origins — which received a shorter episode order — takes over to pair off with NCIS: New York.
“I asked for it [to be pushed] with the network. We had a talk,” creator Jennie Snyder Urman told TV Insider ahead of the second season finale in April. “I just feel like we had so much stuff to think about because we really landed the plane on this, and we really thought that was important because we didn’t want to keep dragging out the same story, and the characters have to get to someplace real emotionally.”
Urman, 50, confirmed that season 2 would wrap up the Wellbrexa story line, which meant a complete “reset” for the series.
“When we took this two-hour finale and really paid a lot of things off, what came with that was I’m going to need time after that to really build the architecture so that we have it for the next seasons,” she teased. “I’m excited about it, but I am also grateful because we needed a little bit of time.”
Urman addressed possible disappointment from viewers, adding, “Sad for audiences, but actually really good for me and the writers because I want us to plot this new mystery and make sure it’s airtight.”
She continued: “We had a lot of pieces going in, so we really had to create this new piece of it. I feel lucky that the network’s giving us time to get it right because I don’t want the quality to drop.”
RJ Decker returns on ABC Tuesday, September 15, at 10 p.m. ET.
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