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TV REVIEW

J.J. Abrams returns to TV with ‘Duster,’ a fun, ’70s-set crime thriller

Rachel Hilson and Josh Holloway in "Duster."Ursula Coyote/Max

There was a time when J.J. Abrams’s name in the opening credits was enough to turn a new series into must-see TV.

With “Alias,” “Lost” and “Fringe,” Abrams created or co-created some of the most addictive genre TV of the ’00s. Merely lending his name as an executive producer gave forgettable shows like “Alcatraz” and “Almost Human” their brief moments in the spotlight. It’s been 15 years since Abrams’s last TV creator credit, though, and his foray into big-budget filmmaking, at the helm of “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” movies, made him into a divisive figure among devoted franchise fans.

Abrams’s new series, “Duster,” co-created with LaToya Morgan and out Thursday on Max, marks his first writing credit since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” and it’s much more grounded than his blockbuster films or his intricate, serialized TV series. Abrams became known for his “mystery box” storytelling, constructed around elaborate hidden worlds and organizations, but “Duster” is a mostly straightforward crime thriller, even if it frustratingly veers into conspiracy territory in its later episodes. There are no secret societies or alternate universes in the 1970s-set “Duster,” just a determined FBI agent and the career criminal she recruits as her reluctant informant.

Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson) is barely out of the FBI Academy when she pleads with her supervisors to be transferred to the Phoenix field office, so that she can head up the investigation into local crime boss Ezra Saxton (Keith David). She has more than a professional interest in Saxton, since she holds him responsible for the murder of her father, a onetime Saxton employee. Nina uses a similar personal connection to rope in Saxton’s courier Jim Ellis (Josh Holloway), offering him evidence that the death of his brother while working for Saxton years earlier was no accident.

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Keith David in "Duster."James Van Evers/Max

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It’s a classic buddy-cop setup, with the wary partners who grow to respect each other drawn, in this case, from opposite sides of the law, and Abrams and Morgan don’t try to reinvent the formula. Unlike past Abrams shows that were focused on delivering consistent shocking reveals, “Duster” proceeds in familiar fashion, although that doesn’t make it less compelling. Abrams and Morgan populate Phoenix’s underworld with a variety of appealingly offbeat characters, and they incorporate their 1970s pop-culture influences without turning the show into an empty pastiche.

From her very first scene, Nina is fighting an uphill battle against both racism and sexism in the FBI, and the show never pretends that being such a pioneering agent would be easy. At the same time, Nina’s confidence in her own abilities rarely wavers, and she doesn’t back down when faced with dismissals and refusals from her bosses and colleagues. “Pam Grier, eat your [expletive] heart out,” goes a typical response to Nina’s swagger, and “Duster” pays homage to Blaxploitation in its fashion and music choices, and by placing Black characters front and center among both cops and criminals.

David brings his signature suave presence to Saxton, who never draws attention to his race but also revels in beating down a bunch of redneck bikers who hassle him when he and Jim stop at a roadside bar. “Duster” isn’t interested in grand social commentary, but these characters make a statement simply by existing in their specific time and place.

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Mostly, though, “Duster” (named after Jim’s bright red muscle car) is just high-octane fun, with plenty of car chases, shootouts, and dangerous dudes with names like Mad Raoul, Sunglasses, and Enrique the Blade. Holloway, who’s struggled to find the right role since his time as resident antihero Sawyer on “Lost,” fits perfectly into the part of the tough but kind-hearted Jim, who accepts the brutal violence that goes along with Saxton’s operation but is more focused on creating a brighter future for his young daughter. Even with Nina, his bluster is clearly a cover for his compassion and eventual affection.

Hilson and Holloway have great banter-filled chemistry, but it’s a relief that they’re never forced into a hook-up. The same goes for Nina’s relationship with her eager young partner Awan (Asivak Koostachin), whose half-Navajo heritage brands him as another FBI outsider. “Duster” is full of camaraderie but light on romance, although Jim frequently wakes up next to anonymous women before making a discreet exit.

The early humor fades a bit as the eight-episode season progresses, and Nina and Jim get deeper into their operation, but “Duster” remains fast-paced and clever. Three separate episodes rely on Abrams’s frequent “Alias” narrative device of in medias res openings that then double back to several hours earlier, and the motivations of all the competing factions get a little muddled by the end of the season. Still, with its choice needle drops, vibrant desert setting, and charming characters, “Duster” is breezy, low-impact entertainment. Abrams’s name-brand value holds up.

DUSTER

Starring: Josh Holloway, Rachel Hilson, Keith David. On Max

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