Scott Speedman Has Finally Settled Into Leading Man Status With ‘R.J. Decker’

Scott Speedman has finally settled into his status as a true leading man. Nearly three decades after breaking out as the brooding Ben Covington on the WB college drama Felicity — and following years of playing second fiddle on shows such as Animal Kingdom and Teacup — the Canadian actor is finally at the top of the call sheet as both the star and executive producer of R.J. Decker .

Adapted by Elementary creator Rob Doherty from Carl Hiaasen’s novel Double Whammy , the breezy ABC procedural dramedy stars Speedman as the titular sleuth — a former photojournalist and ex-con reinventing himself as a private investigator in the vibrant underbelly of South Florida. (The first season, which aired last spring, became the network’s most-watched 10 p.m. debut in over five years.) Related Stories TV 'Good American Family' Renewed at Hulu, With Season 2 Tackling Lorena Bobbitt TV Jeffrey Dean Morgan Says Manager Fired Him Due to Age Just Before Booking 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Supernatural'

Whereas season one follows R.J. as he attempts to rebuild his life after prison as a private eye, season two digs deeper into what makes the easygoing protagonist tick. At the same time, the latest installment will uncover the mystery surrounding the suspected murder of Victor Ochoa (David Zayas) — the corrupt politician and father of R.J.’s on-again-off-again love interest, Emi (Jaina Lee Ortiz), whose testimony originally sent R.J. to prison years earlier.

“This year, we put an emphasis on getting to know R.J.,” Speedman, who also serves as an executive producer, tells The Hollywood Reporter . Season two will specifically explore how his character’s work impacts his personal life, as well as his “very complicated” relationship with his father, Reggie (played by new guest star Beau Bridges).

Calling in last week from Wilmington, North Carolina — where he is currently filming the sixth of just seven episodes for R.J. Decker ’s second season — Speedman caught up with THR to discuss his desire to flesh out the personal life of his ex-con-turned-P.I., why he will always make time to return to Grey’s Anatomy , and the current status of a potential Felicity reunion.

What new layers have you found in playing R.J. this time around compared to the first season? How has your understanding of him evolved?

The luxury I’ve always said about doing television — and [what] I’ve always loved — is you get to settle into a character as you go. As a performer, it’s a nice thing to be able to do that. In a movie, sometimes you get there and you have four, five, six weeks to do a beginning, middle and end; with television, if you have a bad episode, you get another try. To that point, there are certain rhythms to doing a network procedural like this, but then you get to know the characters, you relax into the characters as you go, and you get to know this backstory.

This year, we put an emphasis on getting to know R.J., his family and his personal life — how he is in romantic situations and coming out of romantic situations, how his work has affected his personal life, and all those types of things. We have Beau Bridges coming on this year [as R.J.’s father].