The TV series “Will Trent” is an adaptation of Karin Slaughter’s bestselling 12-book crime series, written 20 years ago, developed by Liz Heldens and Daniel T. Thomsen. “Will Trent” is an incredibly unique criminal investigation series that is currently in its fourth season.
In this series, you follow Will Trent, a GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) agent played by Ramón Rodríguez. Throughout the show, you get to see how Will’s character unravels, struggling with dyslexia, and learning more about his traumatic past growing up in the foster care system, all while solving some of the most difficult cases. Although he may struggle at times, Will is incredible at his job, having one of the highest crime-solving rates in Atlanta.
Why “Will Trent” is Such a Great Series
I started watching this at the beginning of January 2026, and easily binged it throughout the month, now being caught up as the new episodes for season 4 are being released. This series is a great watch, especially if you’re into crime shows that aren’t too heavy, but are also surprisingly funny, with a great personality that separates itself amongst all the other crime shows.
The Characters and Story of “Will Trent”
The story of the series is so unique. The characters are all super well-cast and well-written, each having their own flaws and struggles that they are going through. I like how the show portrays each of their different ways of coping with the challenges they face. It really makes the show feel a lot more relatable and you grow to love everyone who is involved. I don’t think there is a single person that is just your average, cookie-cutter Jane with a predictable life.
Each of the characters are likeable and they have a lot of baggage they are working through. For example, Will’s partner Faith has challenges raising her college-aged son. Angie faces struggles with addiction and PTSD interfering with her job. Another character is distraught over the end of their marriage and later faces struggles after being diagnosed with a life altering disease. I enjoyed that you get to see the different ways each team works when solving cases with the Atlanta Police Department and the GBI when the cases are usually relevant to one another.
Will Trent definitely becomes your favourite character right off the bat. Despite a lot of constant horrible things going on, and what’s being uncovered about his life, Will is incredibly eager and cares about the people he is helping. His character is extremely unique, portraying as a witty, dry-humoured, quirky agent, that is definitely “different” compared to everyone else at the bureau. I really liked the depth of his backstory and how his growth throughout the series was portrayed. I appreciate getting to see the different sides of him, emotionally and physically. For example, his cozy at home life with Betty versus him being on the job. They did a great job with his character development.
Cinematography and Editing
One of my absolute favourite parts of the show, funnily enough, are the title cards. Each episode leading up to the fourth season has a unique, stylized title card for “Will Trent.” I was excited whenever I started a new episode to see how they implemented the next one, and always encountered something completely new that I could admire. They would set the tone of the episode in a super artsy, creative way and I really loved that extra detail that not many other shows have. In the new season, I noticed they had started using a generic, repetitive intro instead which was disappointing. I think the title cards were such a fun touch and I’m really hoping they bring them back.
The cinematography for the show was fantastic with constant unique camera angles and transitions, you can tell it was really well thought out. They have a stylistic, modern noir twist, with great lighting that contrasts the feels of each scene by the way it is edited. The difference between the more dramatic, feely scenes versus the more casual or happy ones was nice.
Book versus The Series
Although I have not read the series by Karin Slaughter, Jen Maravegias for Pajiba wrote that she “hated the book so much I had to put in the freezer” in her review titled “The ‘Will Trent’ Series Is Better Than The Books“. From reading her thoughts on it, it looks like characters came across so much differently in the books compared to the series. I feel like the writer’s adaptation is a lot more light-hearted than jarring in the written series like what Jen states. I am glad they wrote the characters in the show how they did instead of the book.
Final Review
All in all, this show is fantastic, I’m really hoping that in this fourth season it keeps its good name compared to the rest of the show, and hopefully brings back the amazing title cards. I rate the show a solid 4/5 stars, I really love the series a lot and adore Will and his adventures with Betty. I can’t wait for the new episodes to release, and if you end up watching it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Written by Sequoia Keen, Lethbridge Polytechnic
