Review by C.J. Bunce
What would you give for a new episode of The Rockford Files? For another series as good as Max Allan Collins’ Quarry? A TV series from J.J. Abrams as fresh and exciting as Lost? How about a series that re-creates the past as well as Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes? Apparently all it takes is a subscription to HBO Max because Duster is all that and more. We’re halfway through 2025 and it’s so good that we’ll put it up against Dept. Q for the year’s best new series. Let’s go back to Phoenix in the Summer of ’72. Josh Holloway stars as Jim Ellis, a smooth jack-of-all-trades thug for a kingpin named Saxton, who Ellis has been working for since he was 16 (Ellis drives the Plymouth Duster from the show’s title). Saxton, played by genre favorite Keith David in a career-defining performance, has his own mortal enemy–only he doesn’t know it. Years ago he killed the father of FBI agent Nina Hayes (played by co-star Rachel Hilson).
Agent Hayes wrestles with obstacles thrown in her way by the establishment just by being a Black woman in the 1970s. She looks sweet and has a small stature, but she has the smarts and the drive to be the first woman hired in the FBI in her office. Despite the interference by the white males at work, she’s determined to turn Jim Ellis as an informant and take down Saxton’s crime empire once and for all. What happens for Ellis and Hayes over eight gripping and fun hours of television is as good as it gets if you like pulp noir, the 1970s, fast cars, and oh-so-cool television.
When I reviewed the first episode of the series here at borg, I didn’t think the show could hold that kind of momentum for an entire series. It turns out they did, and in fact each new episode was better than the last, bringing new twists and new brands of jeopardy for Jim and Agent Hayes around each turn, exactly the kind of show that you’re happy to look forward to all week while also wishing each Thursday’s new episode would hurry up and get here already.
And it does it with some jaw-dropping surprises that don’t sound like they’d work, including incorporating some big names of the early 1970s into the plot: Elvis Presley (actually his home, his blue suede shoes, and Colonel Tom Parker, played by Brian Reddy), Adrienne Barbeau (Mikaela Hoover), Howard Hughes (Tom Nelis), and Richard Nixon (Paul Wilson, nailing that bulldog look and voice). Hughes becomes key to the events of the story, with actor Tom Nelis offering up a believable and fun take on the hermit, director, aviator, and richest man of the hour. The MacGuffin of the season is both clever and believable. Hint: it fits in a briefcase and is stored on a reel.
The early 1970s had its own look, distinct from later 1970s fashions, styles, cars, and music–all captured here. Even the cinematography (thanks to Celiana Cárdenas and Paul Elliott) captures the vibe of 1970s era television shows, with just the right filters that work perfectly with costume designer Dayna Pink’s costume choices, playing off of production designer Jonah Markowitz and supervising art director Paula Dal Santo’s choices at every turn, especially the use of color. Couple that with the perfect insertion of era pop music and a driving score from Laura Karpman, and Duster isn’t just great, it’s a major hit. The only miss is a slight one–only the briefest bits of dialogue feature phrases you only hear in the 21st century, but they aren’t recurring or grating, easy to overlook. One episode is framed by a scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid–it’s just wow.
In addition to Agent Hayes, who doesn’t hesitate to walk into gunfire to save her own, the story has another badass woman. That’s Jim’s ex- and mother of his (secret) daughter, Izzy Reyna, played by Camille Guaty. Izzy is a truck driver, but in the early 1970s women truck drivers got far lower pay than their male counterparts, and work conditions were rough, with no separate restrooms or shower facilities. So Izzy does something about it, threatening to form a union. She’s a bit of an early Norma Rae, only Izzy inadvertently steps on the toes of a boss who just made friends with Saxton’s organization, making her a target of Jim’s boss. Until Jim and Izzy’s daughter Luna comes along. She’s played by young actress Adriana Martinez, and her casting was another smart move–she looks and acts just like the kids you went to school with back then.
Every episode is jam-packed with crime TV tropes, great action and car chases, too. See if you notice something different about each new episode’s opening credits sequence, which is evocative of the era and packed with nostalgia–maybe they saved money using Hot Wheels cars instead of real cars to smash up, but who cares? Driving that loop using the prime vehicles of the two lead characters is simply epic, and throwing in a new twist in the sequence with each episode is like trying to spot the pineapple in an episode of Psych. That theme song will stick with you, too.
You won’t find any areas of the story that don’t shoot for maximum delivery. Corbin Bernsen plays Jim’s dad in a role like you haven’t seen him before. His wife is played by Gail O’Grady. Together they have a weird chemistry, and both find their way into the mess Jim creates. The antagonists are many: Keith David leads it all as Saxton with that sultry, honey infused voice that made City Confidential all that it was. He’s played a character like Jim in past shows, like They Live for starters, and he’s authentic and believable as an elder crime boss. Greg Grunberg knows how to play a hapless, bad boss for Agent Hayes. Kevin Chamberlin plays trucker union boss Bob Temple with all the appropriate smarm and lack of charm. Donal Logue manages to bring a bit of a cool vibe to every role he plays, but not this time: his bent cop is gross and vile. And Evan Jones’s Billy Mahoney, Saxton’s main thug, is so vile and weaselly you will be hoping for someone to clock him all season long.
The season ends almost exactly right, with two key characters put into serious jeopardy. It sets up a second season that could track Lone Wolf and Cub or The Mandalorian, and will hopefully feature more of co-star Asivak Koostachin as Agent Hayes’ partner in the FBI, young Navajo agent Awan. We could also use more of their office assistant, played by a familiar Phoenix TV series face, Medium’s Sofia Vassilieva. Saxton’s adult kids get their own pivotal scenes and could possibly come back next season. That’s Sydney Elisabeth as Genesis, whose antics with Jim put him in hot water with a local Greek crime boss, and Benjamin Charles Watson as Royce, who Jim saves during a heart transplant and has some affection for Agent Hayes. It’s one satisfying season from beginning to end.
Let’s watch that opening credits sequence and listen to that theme song one more time:
This is the best throwback thrill ride since The Offer and The Gentlemen–okay, it’s better. It’s one of the best TV series I’ve ever seen and may have slipped into my all-time Top 10. Catch all eight episodes of Duster streaming now on HBO Max.
