[5] Set in a small Rust Belt town in Pennsylvania, chief of police Del Harris takes on an investigation when the son of the woman he loves is accused of murder.

[19] In July 2019, the adaptation was recommissioned by Showtime, to be written by Dan Futterman and starring Jeff Daniels as Harris; they both also serve as executive producers.

[20] In March 2020, Maura Tierney, Bill Camp, David Alvarez, Alex Neustaedter and Julia Mayorga were cast as series regulars.

The website's critics consensus reads, "American Rust's tale of America lost is a worthy one, but despite an A-list cast it simply does not have the narrative clarity or heft necessary to do its subject matter justice.

Club gave it a "C" grade, writing "There's a lot not to like about Rust, a dreary, well-acted, badly written chunk of misery porn" and that "the dialogue is all flatly expository".