An ABC show just ended its season with a major death, leaving fans on a cliffhanger that might last forever if the show doesn’t get renewed.
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Indeed, the freshman ABC drama R.J. Decker just wrote off a main character in Tuesday’s finale, which is a bold choice for a show that hasn’t even been renewed for a second season.
HERE BE SPOILERS: Spoilers for R.J. Decker Season 1 Episode “Even Walls Fall Down” ahead.
In the Season 1 finale, “Even Walls Fall Down,” R.J. (Scott Speedman) finally discovered why Victor Ochoa (David Zayas) had his son Lucas (Maximo Salas) steal his camera. It contained a photo of Victor’s henchman near the murder scene of a woman who had refused a business deal with him.
After a tip from the henchman, Emi (Jaina Lee Ortiz) and R.J. found an incriminating flash drive in Victor’s safe. While the drive contained enough evidence about a murder to get Victor arrested, the finale’s closing moments revealed a twist: the season’s villain had been killed by an unknown party and was left floating face down in his pool.
Star of ABC’s ‘R.J. Decker’ Explains How Important Character’s Death Raises the Stakes for Season 2
Following the finale, Speedman explained that Victor’s murder “raises the stakes” for both his character and the show.
“Again, the balance between the light and the darkness of our show, that’s really going to put R.J. … He’s going to be one of the number one suspects, and that whole group is going to be put into the spotlight,” Speedman told PEOPLE.
He also noted that with a “big figure” in Ft. Lauderdale dying, many things could “come to light” in a potential Season 2.
“So we’ll see where they want to take it, but it does add to or give a lot of hope for some really interesting stories coming down the line,” he teased.
Showrunner Rob Doherty told TV Line that Victor was originally meant to last for only three episodes. However, that plan changed after actor David Zayas joined the project. “After meeting David Zayas, getting to work with him, getting to be there and watch him do what he does, that had me second-guessing my decision to kill off Victor,” Doherty explained.
“David was just so fun to watch. He elevated every scene he was in, so that made it hard,” Doherty continued. “For us as writers, though, it’s a good problem to have. It will give us a ton of storytelling runway as we move hopefully into a second season.”