TV-MA | 8 episodes | Drama, Crime, Mystery, Thriller | 2025
Set in 1972, “Duster,” the latest venture from producers J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, covers a lot of narrative ground and reminds people of a certain age what life in America was like over a half-century ago.
Although “Duster” is fictional, the six writers of the eight episodes weave in nonfictional events to such a heavy degree that it plays out like a true crime series. For instance, within the first 15 minutes, references to Watergate and the recent death of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover are made.
Nonfictional characters are also brought into the mix. In the fifth episode, President Richard Nixon becomes an on-screen character. In another, it’s Howard Hughes. In yet another, it’s Elvis Presley’s manager Col. Tom Parker talking to then-unknown actress Adrienne Barbeau (young version played by Mikaela Hoover). In the same episode, the real Barbeau has an extended cameo as someone else. The level of self-awareness here is off the charts, but in the best way possible.
Needle Drops and Polyester
The musical “needle drops” of early 1970s rock, soul, and folk songs are bountiful. There are also glimpses of citizens band radios, cigarette vending machines, 8-track tapes, mini Hot Wheels cars, and signs advertising $0.34 per gallon gas. All of the characters are adorned in clothing most of us would rather forget. You can practically smell the rayon, polyester, and assorted ozone-killing hair care products.Not quite a police procedural, the entire season focuses on the FBI trying to gather enough evidence to arrest Phoenix crime lord Ezra Saxton (Keith David). It becomes clear early on that veteran agents (read: white guys) are petrified of Saxton. Whether it’s out of fear of reprisal, death, or widespread corruption, none of them are keen to pursue him.
Muscle Car
The only hope Hayes has to nail Saxton is Jim Ellis (Josh Holloway of “Lost”), one of Saxton’s employees. Ellis is the second owner of a 1970 cherry red Plymouth Duster 340. He feels that he owes Saxton and is loyal almost to a fault. Once Hayes offers Ellis definitive proof of a previous crime that cuts deep personally, he reluctantly agrees to be a confidential informant against Saxton.
The producers, along with alternating directors Steph Green and Darren Grant, aren’t shy when it comes to “borrowing” the intellectual property (IP) of HBO Max’s parent company (Warner Bros. Discovery). Adjacent to product placement, IP essentially does the same thing: It lends the fictional production a tad more realism.
Flash Forward
Although not exactly original, the writers and directors incorporate something akin to “flash forward” at the start of at least three episodes. All begin with what looks like something we’d see in the last 10 or so minutes. Just before the payoff, the actual chronological start of the episode kicks in accompanied by on-screen text reading “12 (or 13, or 8) hours earlier.” It’s a clever way to keep viewers on their toes.
There is such strong emphasis on the period props, costume design, time-appropriate music, the tipping of caps to pop culture of the day, and the unorthodox storytelling choices for a reason. Great writing, acting, and direction in period pieces will only take a film so far.
It seems easy to make a movie set 200 (or even 2,000) years ago. But for 50 or 60 years ago, that’s a challenge. It could be because many Americans lived through the 1970s, and those that didn’t have seen images (moving and still) of that time. Winging it is not an option. Everyone involved with the look, sound, and feel of “Duster” recognizes this and completely nailed it.
Going beyond the above nuts-and-bolts description of the premise and key characters probably isn’t a good idea. Every episode further unspools a dozen or so plot threads, most of which take the entire season to fully play out. Trying to figure out what comes next each time is what makes the show so addictive.
I’m afraid I have some bad news for those who prefer to binge-watch their premium cable shows. Beginning May 15 and continuing through July 3, a new 45-to-55-minute episode will drop every Thursday.
In the last 20 minutes of the eighth episode, I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out which characters would live or die, and only got about half of them right. I also wanted to see if there would be a hint of a possible second season, and I’m happy to say it appears more than likely.
