Watching – R.J. Decker

It’s a pretty standard pitch – the private investigator with a Past solves the case of the week. More recently we’ve seen it wedded to the PI chipping away at the Major Arc, usually one that ties to that troubled Past. It’s a trope because it works and in the case of R.J. Decker works pretty well.

Rather than an ex cop, RJ is a photo journalist and an ex con. He’s got charm and humour and a drive to uncover the truth. On his side he’s got a fellow ex-con turned bar owner, his ex wife journalist, and the homicide cop currently married to RJ’s ex wife. He got sent to jail for an assault against a kid trying to steal his photography gear, only the kid is twice his size and the son of a senator. As a PI, he’s still in the business of digging up dirt and not being a cop, he plays a little fast and loose as the need arrives. Being in Florida, he’s got his fair share of cases that take a twist or two. In a time where it’s all about cell phone cameras, it’s interesting to see how often he’s armed with a proper camera (digital, not film).

Overall, I enjoyed it. It has a similar lighter vibe to other investigator shows like The Glades and The Finder or the more recent Bad Monkey. The final episode of season one didn’t leave too much unresolved, but I’m happy to hear that there might be a second season in the works.

I might try to track down the 1987 novel that inspired it, Double Whammy. RJ is no Jim Rockford, but he shares in some of that DNA of a hard luck hero.