# Will Trent

Will Trent is an American police procedural television series developed by Liz Heldens and Daniel T. Thomsen based on the series of novels by Karin Slaughter. The series, starring Ramón Rodríguez in the title role, premiered on January 3, 2023, on ABC. In April 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on February 20, 2024. In April 2024, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on January 7, 2025.

## Premise

Abandoned as a child, Will Trent grew up in the Atlanta foster care system. This had a lasting effect on him and, despite being dyslexic, he became a Special Agent in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Will is highly observant, solving the highest proportion of cases in the GBI, which causes some envy.
Will had been assigned a corruption case involving the Atlanta Police Department, which shares an office building with the GBI. Solving it resulted in the arrest of several APD officers. Amanda Wagner, his boss at the GBI, assigns Faith Mitchell, the disgruntled daughter of an arrested APD officer, temporary GBI status as Will's partner.
He is in an on-again off-again relationship with APD Detective Angie Polaski, his childhood friend from the foster care system. Angie is partnered with APD Detective Michael Ormewood. Will and Angie's cases sometimes overlap, bringing the two and their partners into ongoing contact.

## Cast
### Main

* Ramón Rodríguez as Wilbur "Will" Trent, GBI special agent
* Erika Christensen as Angela Polaski, Atlanta PD Homicide detective
* Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell, GBI special agent
* Jake McLaughlin as Michael Ormewood, Atlanta PD Homicide detective
* Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner, GBI Deputy Director, former Atlanta PD officer
* Bluebell as Betty Maria White Trent, a chihuahua Will adopts in the pilot episode.
* Gina Rodriguez as Marion Alba, Assistant District Attorney (season 3)

### Recurring

* Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Paul Campano
* Greg Germann as James Ulster
* LisaGay Hamilton as Evelyn Mitchell, the mother of APD Detective Faith Mitchell. She is a retired APD captain with 30 years of service.
* Cora Lu Tran as Nico, a non-binary former murder suspect who pet-sits Betty for Will
* Ric Reitz as Director Armstrong, GBI state-wide director (season 1)
* John Ortiz as Antonio Miranda (season 2), Will's uncle
* Christina Wren as Caroline
* Kevin Daniels as Franklin
* Ser'Darius Blain as Luke Sullivan
* Sara Antonio as Gina Ormewood
* Jophielle Love as Cooper Ormewood
* Owen Trumbly as Max Ormewood
* Chapel Oaks as Crystal
* Todd Allen Durkin as Captain Heller
* Raiany Silva as Lucy Morales
* Kurt Yue as Pete Chin
* Scott Foley as Dr. Seth McDale, Angie's new love interest (season 3)
* Kyrie McAlpin as Sunny, a smart and resourceful tween who finds herself in the uncommon position of being the daughter of a criminal who now finds herself in the care of the deputy director of the GBI (season 3).
* Antwayn Hopper as Rafael Wexford, a friend of Will's and Sunny's father

### Guests

* Ariana Madix as herself
* C. Thomas Howell as Warden Sturgill Hawley
* Clark Gregg as Arthur Highsmith
* French Stewart as Leonard "Lenny" Broussard
* Jason Wiles as Officer Tate Grillo
* Jenna Elfman as Edie Reynolds
* Jennifer Morrison as Abigail Bentley Campano
* Jennifer Westfeldt as Erin Carrey
* Jose Pablo Cantillo as Gabriel
* Julia Chan as Ava Green
* Kathleen York as Babs Carter
* Michael Fairman as Dale Merrick
* Michael Papajohn as Chuck Murray
* Ric Reitz as Director Armstrong, GBI state-wide director
* Ricardo Chavira as Councilman Victor Carrey
* Rotimi as Charles
* Roxanne Hart as Kathleen Marigold
* Shalim Ortiz as Dante Vasquez
* Susan Kelechi Watson as Cricket Dawson
* Sydney Park as Young Amanda Wagner
* Yvette Freeman as Bonnie
* Phaedra Parks as Adela Blakely

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released | Rank | Avg. viewership (in millions) |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Rank | Avg. viewership (in millions) |
| 1 | 13 | 13 | January 3, 2023 (2023-1-3) | May 2, 2023 (2023-5-2) | 33 | 5.99 |
| 2 | 10 | 10 | February 20, 2024 (2024-2-20) | May 21, 2024 (2024-5-21) | 23 | 6.64 |
| 3 | 18 | 18 | January 7, 2025 (2025-1-7) | TBA | TBA | TBA |

### Season 1 (2023)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Paul McGuigan | Liz Heldens & Daniel T. Thomsen | January 3, 2023 (2023-1-3) | 1LGF01 | 3.61 |
| 2 | 2 | "I'm a Pretty Observant Guy" | Howard Deutch | Liz Heldens | January 10, 2023 (2023-1-10) | 1LGF02 | 2.95 |
| 3 | 3 | "Don't Let It Happen Again" | Howard Deutch | Inda Craig-Galván | January 17, 2023 (2023-1-17) | 1LGF04 | 3.32 |
| 4 | 4 | "My Stupid Detective Brain" | Sheree Folkson | Kath Lingenfelter | January 24, 2023 (2023-1-24) | 1LGF05 | 3.04 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Look Out" | Charles Randolph-Wright | Daniel T. Thomsen | January 31, 2023 (2023-1-31) | 1LGF03 | 3.22 |
| 6 | 6 | "Should I Go Get My Tin Foil Hat?" | Lea Thompson | Britta Lundin | February 14, 2023 (2023-2-14) | 1LGF06 | 2.89 |
| 7 | 7 | "Unable to Locate" | Patricia Cardoso | Henry "Hank" Jones | February 21, 2023 (2023-2-21) | 1LGF07 | 2.63 |
| 8 | 8 | "Two Hundred Dollars and a Bus Pass" | Geary McLeod | Karine Rosenthal | February 28, 2023 (2023-2-28) | 1LGF08 | 2.71 |
| 9 | 9 | "Manhunt" | Eric Dean Seaton | Adam Toltzis | March 21, 2023 (2023-3-21) | 1LGF09 | 3.24 |
| 10 | 10 | "Pterodactyls Can Fly" | Bille Woodruff | Britta Lundin & Inda Craig-Galván | March 28, 2023 (2023-3-28) | 1LGF10 | 3.58 |
| 11 | 11 | "Bill Black" | Howard Deutch | Daniel T. Thomsen & Henry "Hank" Jones | April 18, 2023 (2023-4-18) | 1LGF11 | 2.61 |
| 12 | 12 | "Nothing Changed Except for Everything" | Oliver Bokelberg | Karine Rosenthal & Adam Toltzis | April 25, 2023 (2023-4-25) | 1LGF12 | 2.64 |
| 13 | 13 | "A Bad Temper and a Hard Heart" | Holly Dale | Liz Heldens & Kath Lingenfelter | May 2, 2023 (2023-5-2) | 1LGF13 | 3.32 |

### Season 2 (2024)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 14 | 1 | "Me Llamo Will Trent" | Howard Deutch | Liz Heldens & Britta Lundin | February 20, 2024 (2024-2-20) | 2LGF01 | 4.77 |
| 15 | 2 | "It's the Work I Signed Up For" | Eric Dean Seaton | Daniel T. Thomsen & Inda Craig-Galván | February 27, 2024 (2024-2-27) | 2LGF02 | 3.97 |
| 16 | 3 | "You Don't Have to Understand" | Jason Ensler | Karine Rosenthal | March 5, 2024 (2024-3-5) | 2LGF03 | 4.83 |
| 17 | 4 | "It's Easier to Handcuff a Human Being" | Patricia Cardoso | Henry "Hank" Jones & Adam Toltzis | March 26, 2024 (2024-3-26) | 2LGF04 | 4.41 |
| 18 | 5 | "Capt. Duke Wagner's Daughter" | Holly Dale | Inda Craig-Galván & Rebecca Murga | April 2, 2024 (2024-4-2) | 2LGF05 | 4.35 |
| 19 | 6 | "We Are Family" | Lea Thompson | Britta Lundin & Aja Hoggatt | April 9, 2024 (2024-4-9) | 2LGF06 | 4.28 |
| 20 | 7 | "Have You Never Been to a Wedding?" | Michael Lehmann | Liz Heldens & Adam Toltzis | April 30, 2024 (2024-4-30) | 2LGF07 | 4.69 |
| 21 | 8 | "Why Is Jack's Arm Bleeding?" | Keith Powell | Karine Rosenthal & Henry "Hank" Jones | May 7, 2024 (2024-5-7) | 2LGF08 | 3.72 |
| 22 | 9 | "Residente o Visitante" | Sheree Folkson | Daniel T. Thomsen & Rebecca Murga | May 14, 2024 (2024-5-14) | 2LGF09 | 3.89 |
| 23 | 10 | "Do You See the Vision?" | Liz Heldens | Liz Heldens & Kath Lingenfelter | May 21, 2024 (2024-5-21) | 2LGF10 | 4.08 |

### Season 3 (2025)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 24 | 1 | "I'm a Guest Here" | Ramón Rodríguez | Liz Heldens & Daniel T. Thomsen | January 7, 2025 (2025-1-7) | 3LFG01 | 5.91 |
| 25 | 2 | "Sunny-Side Up" | Eric Dean Seaton | Juliet Lashinsky-Revene & Henry "Hank" Jones | January 14, 2025 (2025-1-14) | 3LGF02 | 5.70 |
| 26 | 3 | "Find a New Pond" | Howard Deutch | Karine Rosenthal | January 21, 2025 (2025-1-21) | 3LGF03 | 5.53 |
| 27 | 4 | "Floor Is Lava" | Keith Powell | Britta Lundin | January 28, 2025 (2025-1-28) | 3LFG04 | 4.54 |
| 28 | 5 | "Breathe with Me" | Gregory Smith | Inda Craig-Galván | February 4, 2025 (2025-2-4) | 3LGF05 | 4.63 |
| 29 | 6 | "No Faith In Second Chances" | Sheree Folkson | Kath Lingenfelter | February 11, 2025 (2025-2-11) | 3LGF06 | 5.06 |
| 30 | 7 | "Mariachi Shelly's Frankenstein" | Holly Dale | Adam Toltzis | February 18, 2025 (2025-2-18) | 3LGF07 | 4.66 |
| 31 | 8 | "Abigail B." | Gail Mancuso | Antoine Niguel Perry | February 25, 2025 (2025-2-25) | 3LGF08 | 4.61 |
| 32 | 9 | "This Kid's Gonna Be Alright" | Holly Dale | Henry "Hank" Jones | March 11, 2025 (2025-3-11) | TBA | 4.48 |
| 33 | 10 | "Regarding the Death of Whitney McAdams" | TBA | Aja Hoggatt | March 18, 2025 (2025-3-18) | TBA | TBD |
| 34 | 11 | "Best of Your Recollection" | TBA | Rebecca Murga | March 25, 2025 (2025-3-25) | TBA | TBD |
| 35 | 12 | "You're the Worst Person In the World" | TBA | Laura Snow | April 1, 2025 (2025-4-1) | TBA | TBD |

## Production
### Development

In February 2022, ABC ordered a pilot for Will Trent, based on Karin Slaughter's Will Trent novel series, with Liz Heldens and Daniel Thomsen set to write and executive produce, and Slaughter also to executive produce, with 20th Television as the studio. In August 2022, ABC ordered the series for 2022–23 mid-season. On April 18, 2023, ABC renewed the series for a second season. On April 3, 2024, ABC renewed the series for a third season.

### Casting

Ramón Rodríguez was cast in the lead role in April 2022, with Erika Christensen cast as Angie Polaski. In May 2022, Iantha Richardson was cast as Faith, Jake McLaughlin as Michael, and Sonja Sohn as Amanda. In August 2024, Gina Rodriguez joined the cast as a new series regular for the third season.

### Filming

Production for the first season of Will Trent started in Atlanta on October 10, 2022, and concluded on February 20, 2023.

## Broadcast

Will Trent premiered on January 3, 2023, on ABC. The second season premiered on February 20, 2024. The third season premiered on January 7, 2025.

## Reception
### Critical response

For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 89% approval rating based on 9 critics' reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter, wrote that it "quickly emerges as an above-average broadcast TV procedural". Reviewing the series for The A.V. Club, Max Gao gave a B− and stated, "It will welcome viewers who have never read the source material, but it risks alienating longtime fans of Slaughter's books."

### Ratings
#### Overall

Viewership and ratings per season of Will Trent :
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | First aired | Last aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank | Avg. viewers (millions) | 18–49 rank | Avg. 18–49 rating |
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | Date | Viewers (millions) | Date | Viewers (millions) | TV season | Viewership rank | Avg. viewers (millions) | 18–49 rank | Avg. 18–49 rating |
| 1 | Tuesday 10:00 p.m. | 13 | January 3, 2023 (2023-01-03) | 3.61 | May 2, 2023 (2023-05-02) | 3.32 | 2022–23 | 33 | 5.99 | 51 | 0.58 |
| 2 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 10 | February 20, 2024 (2024-2-20) | 4.77 | May 21, 2024 (2024-5-21) | 4.08 | 2023–24 | 23 | 6.64 | 47 | 0.53 |
| 3 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | TBA | January 7, 2025 (2025-1-7) | 5.91 | TBA | TBD | 2024–25 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |

#### Season 1

Viewership and ratings per episode of Will Trent :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Pilot" | January 3, 2023 | 0.4 | 3.61 | 0.3 | 2.96 | 0.6 | 6.57 |
| 2 | "I'm a Pretty Observant Guy" | January 10, 2023 | 0.3 | 2.95 | 0.3 | 2.89 | 0.6 | 5.85 |
| 3 | "Don't Let It Happen Again" | January 17, 2023 | 0.4 | 3.32 | 0.3 | 3.19 | 0.7 | 6.51 |
| 4 | "My Stupid Detective Brain" | January 24, 2023 | 0.3 | 3.04 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | "The Look Out" | January 31, 2023 | 0.3 | 3.22 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | "Should I Go Get My Tin Foil Hat?" | February 14, 2023 | 0.3 | 2.89 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | "Unable to Locate" | February 21, 2023 | 0.3 | 2.63 | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | "Two Hundred Dollars and a Bus Pass" | February 28, 2023 | 0.3 | 2.71 | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | "Manhunt" | March 21, 2023 | 0.3 | 3.24 | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | "Pterodactyls Can Fly" | March 28, 2023 | 0.3 | 3.58 | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | "Bill Black" | April 18, 2023 | 0.3 | 2.61 | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | "Nothing Changed Except for Everything"" | April 25, 2023 | 0.2 | 2.64 | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | "A Bad Temper and a Hard Heart" | May 2, 2023 | 0.3 | 3.32 | — | — | — | — |

#### Season 2

Viewership and ratings per episode of Will Trent :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Me Llamo Will Trent" | February 20, 2024 | 0.3 | 4.77 | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | "It's the Work I Signed Up For" | February 27, 2024 | 0.4 | 3.97 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | "You Don't Have to Understand" | March 5, 2024 | 0.4 | 4.83 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | "It's Easier to Handcuff a Human Being" | March 26, 2024 | 0.3 | 4.41 | 0.2 | 2.73 | 0.5 | 7.14 |
| 5 | "Capt. Duke Wagner's Daughter" | April 2, 2024 | 0.4 | 4.27 | 0.2 | 2.54 | 0.6 | 6.81 |
| 6 | "We Are Family" | April 9, 2024 | 0.3 | 4.29 | 0.2 | 2.32 | 0.5 | 6.61 |
| 7 | "Have You Never Been to a Wedding?" | April 30, 2024 | 0.3 | 4.59 | 0.2 | 2.13 | 0.5 | 6.72 |
| 8 | "Why Is Jack's Arm Bleeding?" | May 7, 2024 | 0.3 | 3.71 | 0.2 | 2.32 | 0.5 | 6.03 |
| 9 | "Residente o Visitante" | May 14, 2024 | 0.3 | 3.89 | 0.2 | 2.30 | 0.5 | 6.20 |
| 10 | "Do You See the Vision?" | May 21, 2024 | 0.3 | 4.08 | — | — | — | — |

#### Season 3

Viewership and ratings per episode of Will Trent :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "I'm a Guest Here" | January 7, 2025 | 0.5/6 | 5.91 | 0.1 | 2.18 | 0.6 | 7.79 |
| 2 | "Sunny-Side Up" | January 14, 2025 | 0.5/6 | 5.70 | 0.2 | 2.11 | 0.6 | 7.80 |
| 3 | "You're the One I Want Watching My Back" | January 21, 2025 | 0.4/5 | 5.53 | 0.2 | 2.02 | 0.6 | 7.55 |
| 4 | "Floor Is Lava" | January 28, 2025 | 0.3/4 | 4.54 | 0.2 | 2.19 | 0.5 | 6.74 |
| 5 | "Breathe with Me" | February 4, 2025 | 0.3/4 | 4.63 | 0.2 | 2.19 | 0.5 | 6.83 |
| 6 | "No Faith in Second Chances" | February 11, 2025 | 0.4/5 | 5.06 | 0.2 | 2.04 | 0.6 | 7.10 |
| 7 | "Mariachi Shelly's Frankenstein" | February 18, 2025 | 0.4/5 | 4.66 | 0.2 | 2.09 | 0.5 | 6.75 |
| 8 | "Abigail B." | February 25, 2025 | 0.3/4 | 4.61 | 0.2 | 2.05 | 0.5 | 6.66 |
| 9 | "This Kid's Gonna Be Alright" | March 11, 2025 | 0.3/5 | 4.48 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |

### Accolades

List of awards and nominations received by Will Trent :
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2024 | Astra TV Awards | Best Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Drama Series | Ramón Rodríguez | Nominated |
| 2024 | Astra TV Awards | Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Drama Series | Erika Christensen | Nominated |
| 2024 | Astra TV Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Drama Series | Sonja Sohn | Nominated |
| 2024 | Astra TV Awards | Best Writing in a Broadcast Network or Cable Drama Series | Liz Heldens, Kath Lingenfelter | Nominated |
| 2024 | Astra TV Awards | Best Broadcast Network Drama Series | Will Trent | Won |
| 2024 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actor in a Drama Series | Ramón Rodríguez | Nominated |