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Will Max’s new thriller Duster be your next must-watch show?

J.J. Abrams' newest thriller is coming soon

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Max has become the home to some of the most fascinating and innovative shows on TV. Fans can trust that the HBO-affiliated streamer has tons of originals and plenty of old favorites from trusted creators, and that trend will continue with their newest offering titled Duster. This thriller comes from the mind of the esteemed J.J. Abrams and stars his fellow Lost alum, Josh Holloway, as a getaway driver who must use his skills for the good of the government when the first Black female FBI agent in American history asks him for her help (the agent will be played by Rachel Hilson). The show is a period piece taking place in the 1970s. It hasn’t been revealed how any of the main events of the decade will be incorporated into the plot of the series.

Like a lot of shows that have been teased for the coming months, Duster doesn’t have a lot of concrete details out in the open yet. The project has been ongoing for quite some time and was delayed during the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, but a recent teaser trailer has hinted that Duster should finally arrive at an unspecified point in 2025. Here is everything we know so far about Duster.

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Who is starring in Duster on Max?

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Josh Holloway – This Brad Pitt lookalike has been a prominent force on TV going back to the middle of the 2000s. He played Sawyer on Lost, Will Bowman on the underrated sci-fi series Colony, and has most recently appeared in Yellowstone. Movies that Holloway has appeared in include Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Paranoia. Holloway has main character energy and plenty of swag, so expect him to fit in perfectly as an antihero of sorts in Duster.

Rachel Hilson – Unless you’re a fan of LGBTQ+ film and television, you might not have heard of Rachel Hilson. This talented young actress started her success on the small screen as the female lead in Hulu’s Love, Victor. She played the love interest of the main character as he was trying to work his way through a gay sexual awakening. She continued to play allies of the gay community when she appeared in the Prime Video queer film Red, White, and Royal Blue in 2023. This is a change in genre for Hilson as she plays an FBI agent with a lot to lose and an inordinate amount of trust to Holloway’s character.

Sydney Elizabeth – If you’re looking to get to know some newcomers on the show, Sydney Elizabeth will be one of the most exciting candidates. She is a Detroit native who appeared in the series The Last O.G. for TBS but hasn’t really caught a break since. We don’t know what her role will be on Duster other than that her character is named Genesis.

Camille Guaty – Guaty has been in a variety of supporting roles on TV going back almost 20 years. She played a small role in Prison Break and Scorpion while appearing on the big screen in the film Harold and the Purple Crayon. Her role in Duster is a character named Izzy. She adds to the strong female cast of the show.

Other performers in the show include Adrianna Aluna Martinez, Benjamin Charles, Gail O’Grady, and Greg Grunberg.

Are there are any trailers for Duster on Max?

Max recently released a set of teaser trailers for many of their 2025 shows, including The White Lotus, The Gilded Age, and The Last of Us. The teaser for Duster is as vague as it gets, though. Fans see Holloway and Hilson walking in slow motion with dramatic music in the background. Where are they headed? What dangers will this mismatched duo get themselves into? We can expect that with J.J. Abrams’ long history of dynamic action and mystery stories, Duster will be fascinating and fun.

What movies and shows are similar to Duster?

The cast of Lost.
ABC Studios / ABC Studios

You might want to know about some similar shows to Duster to watch while you wait for the premiere. If you want to stay with J.J. Abrams, you can try out Lost or Fringe. Lost famously follows a group of people who crash land on a mysterious island and find out there is a lot more going on than humans can possibly understand. Fringe involves a special division of the FBI that tries to get to the bottom of supernatural occurrences. Other shows with government intrigue and conspiracy that might resemble Duster include Criminal Minds, The Black List, and Blindspot.

When does Duster on Max come out?

There is no announcement on an exact date for when Duster will come out on Max. We know it will come out in 2025. There will be eight episodes in the first season, and the first two will be directed by Steph Green. Max usually releases on a weekly schedule but we’ll have to wait for an announcement on release schedule.

Shawn Laib
Shawn Laib is a freelance writer with publications such as Den of Geek, Quote.com, Edge Media Network, diaTribe, SUPERJUMP…
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