Baltimore Changes Everything

Set against the sunburned grit of 1970s Arizona, this crime series is pure pulp adrenaline with a cigarette dangling from its lip. The pacing? Fast. The drama? Loud. And the plot? Surprisingly easy to follow, even with all the shootouts, double-crosses, and motel room secrets flying around. Think less cerebral, more chaotic fun soap opera with a criminal streak-and that's a compliment.

What really sells it though is the vibe. If you've got a soft spot for vintage muscle cars, shady characters with mustaches, crooked cops, and women who look like they walked out of a grindhouse poster, you're in for a good time. This is the kind of show where someone's always pulling a gun, lighting a match, or taking their top off. And it works.

Josh Holloway leads the charge like he was born to wear sweat-stained denim and talk tough. If you were a fan of him in Lost, you'll feel right at home watching him charm and shoot his way through dusty trouble.

Bottom line: Duster doesn't just play in the '70s crime sandbox, it burns it down and throws a party in the ashes.

1st episode of 70's based show "Duster". They got it right. I don't know what the people who are bashing the series after 1 or 2 episodes are talking about. Both leads are spot on, as are the vibes of the show, the music, the early 70s muscle cars. 1 episode in and I think I'm all in unless they mess up bad in next few episodes but I definitely liked what I saw in episode 1. The commercials intrigued me, and the show hooked me. Rachel Hilson is a strong female lead and a bad-ass. I'm gonna make my daughter check her out. Has both fear & insecurity and yet doesn't show it as she faces sexism, racism in the FBI office. Her team around her is xclnt. And the hero / anti-hero, Josh Holloway's character seems spot on too....raised in a crime family and yet can sense some integrity laying underneath there too...Looking forward to see what develops here.

Let's go for a ride...

Firmly placed on the shoulders of star Rachel Hilson as FBI Agent Nina Hayes and premier wheelman Josh Holloway as Jim Ellis, "Duster" in its pilot episode takes us back to the era of going to drive-in movies circa 1972. I owned an electric blue Dodge Challenger and would watch "Vanishing Point" on many a double bill (usually booked with other 20th Century-Fox releases), and the local bikers would all be parked up front, closest to the outdoor screen.

J. J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan capture the look and feel of these classic movies like "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" (memorably teaming Peter Fonda and Susan George), but the difference is the top production values provided by today's streaming services, like HBO Max. All the better, and with Josh's cherry red 1970 Plymouth Duster put through its paces, plus his trademark smirky smile and diminutive Nicole's self-confident swagger, it was a fresh action-packed experience watching them, not mere nostalgia tripping. And casting Nicole was refreshing, as I was brought up on the Amazon beauties (so different) of Pam Grier and Tamara Dobson in such assertive roles.

The pilot has myriad colorful characters, ranging from Corbin Bernsen to Gail O'Grady, in addition to Keith David as the head bad guy, and enough F-bombs and snatches of nudity to qualify it for non-Broadcast TV use. The music is on the money, literally, and the pilot's direction by Steph Green is perfectly paced.

Co-starring is that beloved Plymouth Duster, now a coveted collector's item among muscle car fans. If one were to believe internet videos on YouTube, Plymouth would be bringing one out (in 2024 or 2025 they say, belatedly), but that's just AI for you. However, the success of this show conceivably could inspire such a revival, like Richard C. Sarafian's Barry Newman classic "Vanishing Point" helped immensely to launch the Dodge Challenger in the early years of the car's existence.

This is a show based in the 1970s in America. I don't think enough shows around this time period are made nowdays. It's like people avoid it. It was a completely different time than it is today. The lead FBI agent is a black woman and due to the time the show does a good job with accuracy on how treatment was back then. It is important to not erase American history. Racism is a significant part of American history and still exists today. But, in the 1970s it was much worse.

There is no reason that shows should stop being made that would showcase the reality of what it's like being black in that time period when it was a reality for millions upon millions of people for countless years and still is to an extent. It's important for shows like this to exist so it doesn't get erased. This show is a good reminder of how people, and countries can grow. This was only 50 years ago. Not long at all.

The opening scene reminded me a lot of dukes of hazzard. If the guy does end up having a relationship with the girl that may be weird. She looks like she is 30 and he looks like he is 55. May not happen though.

Overall, if you like cars, investigation shows, and would like an accurate representation on American history that affected a lot of people and don't want to pretend like it didn't happen, then you will enjoy this show. Essentially all detective shows nowadays are based in today's world. There aren't many like this where it's back many years. We will be able to see more struggles than usual mixed with cool cars.