Duster won’t return for season 2 after the show gets cancelled by HBO 

It's a short run for the 1970s American Southwest drama Duster, as HBO Max decided not to renew the series for season 2 despite the lengthy buildup the show got. It was first ordered in April 2020, but only premiered on Max on May 15, 2025, with a total of eight episodes. The series reunited Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams and star Josh Holloway.

In a press statement about the show's cancellation on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, HBO Max said:

"While HBO Max will not be moving forward with a second season of Duster, we are so grateful to have had the chance to work with the amazingly talented co-creators J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, and our partners at Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television."

The cancellation news came just a week after the Duster finale premiered on Max on July 3, 2025, which ended in a major teaser that could have set up season 2. Those who tuned in to the series largely liked what they saw, which is evident in the show's 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 83% from general viewers.

However, the show doesn't appear to have generated a lot of buzz and viewers because while it's still in HBO Max's daily Top 10, it failed to nab a spot on the Nielsen Top 10 charts for streaming originals, per The Hollywood Reporter. Moreover, the show only barely made it into the Top 50 streaming originals list from Luminate, taking the last No.50 spot in its fourth week since the premiere.

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What happened at the end of Duster, and what could have happened in season 2?

After eight episodes, the series ended on such a note that audiences were given a conclusion to the conflict of season 1 while also leaving threads dangling that could have set up an interesting next season. Jim Ellis (Josh Holloway) and Agent Nina Hayes's (Rachel Hilson) secret partnership against Ezra Saxton (Keith David) has been on the brink of being found out.

In the season finale, fans were treated to the consequences of Saxton finding out that Jim has been working as an FBI informant. It also revealed the lingering questions of the series, including who really killed Jim's brother, Joey. But the revelation about Joey has enough mystery there that it could have set up Duster season 2.

It turns out that Joey is alive—Saxton didn't kill him as Nina initially thought. Instead, Saxton was the one who helped him escape, and ever since, he has changed his name into Xavier, the mystery man and national security threat the FBI has been secretly investigating for years.

Nina, who wanted to leave Phoenix after Saxton's death and the mission finished, decided to stay to work on the Xavier case. She recruited Jim again to help her, so surely there would have been more drama and mystery to explore and uncover if the story had continued.

Moreover, Jim, who wanted to leave Phoenix because he felt like his life was too dangerous for his daughter Luna, ended up staying after Izzy (Camille Guaty) revealed that she had cancer. There is also Saxton's fate that was left without a definite conclusion. While he is presumed dead after the shooting, there was never a confirmation.

With that said, all these lingering questions and theories will remain as they are without Duster season 2.

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Catch all eight episodes of Duster streaming on Max.