by Bobbi A. Chukran

Prime time Tuesday nights on ABC are all about crime drama television at our house. After The Rookie and Rookie Feds, there’s a newer one, Will Trent. I will admit that I did not love it at first, but after I got familiar with the characters, both I and Mr. C. have come to enjoy it over the more than a dozen episodes.

Will Trent is a Special Agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, or the “GBI.” This is an independent arm of the law that we haven’t seen in television shows, so that made it interesting to me. I wondered, what does this specific bureau do, and how is it different from, say, the FBI?

GBI special agents specifically respond to requests for assistance from local law enforcement to help investigate major crimes such as child abuse, armed robbery, fraud, rape, homicide, and other felonies. So, it’s no surprise that most of the crimes covered in this series fall under those categories.

Agent Will Trent is played by Ramón Rodríguez, a New York Puerto Rican, who pulls off a believable soft Southern accent. Agent Trent, the character, is dyslexic and in spite of this, or perhaps because of it, notices details that his co-workers miss. He is slightly quirky (he has a bit of “Adrian Monk” in him) and relies on a handheld tape recorder to make notes. However, his keen observational skills and uncanny ability to solve crimes are part of the reason he is the GBI Special Agent with the highest case clearance rate.

At the beginning, Will is closed off, a loner set in his ways and seems a bit cold. His background as an abandoned foster child in the overcrowded Atlanta system goes a long way to explain this. He wears a three piece suit to cover physical scars. Will is not well-liked from the beginning by Atlanta Police Department co-workers (who share the same office) since a corruption case he worked resulted in the arrest of APD officers. Obviously, this is a source of conflict.

APD officer Faith Mitchell (played beautifully by Iantha Richardson) is on temporary assignment to Trent as his partner. Faith is a likable no-nonsense young woman who is instrumental in bringing him out of his shell, and after she gets over her disgruntlement, warms up to him and adds a bit humor to the relationship.

Sonja Sohn, also a Georgia native, plays Amanda Wagner, Trent’s boss. Amanda is also Faith’s aunt and keeps a close eye on her.

APD Homicide Detective Angie Polaski, played by Erika Christensen, brings baggage of her own to the story line and her character arc plays a huge part over the first ten episodes of Season One. The on-again, off-again romantic relationship between Angie and Will honestly seems tedious at times. But they have a shared history and were childhood friends so this bonds them.

Jake McLaughlin plays Michael Ormewood, Angie’s partner in the APD and a major source of conflict for Will.

Added to those is a quirky character with colorful hair, Nico (played by Cora Lu Tran), and an adorable Chihuahua, Betty, both of whom were rescued by Will. Betty steals the show in more than a few scenes.

So far, the fictional story lines have mostly been based on the bestselling fictional crime novels Broken, Fractured and Unseen by Georgia native author, Karin Slaughter. Readers of Ms. Slaughter’s Will Trent series should be aware that there will be some differences between the TV show and the books, like there are in most TV adaptations. Other stories, not specifically from these books, will be added. The author researched true crime cases with help from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to come up with the storylines.

The episodes are set and filmed mostly in the metro Atlanta area (with a few filmed in L.A.). Viewers familiar with the area will recognize the occasional landmark and tourist attraction.

The show’s Executive Producer is Liz Heldens.

Will Trent is on Tuesdays on ABC at 9 p.m. Central Time. It can also be streamed through subscription on Hulu, YouTube TV, Apple TV and more.

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Bobbi A. Chukran is an author who now lives at the edge of the Chihuahua desert in southern New Mexico. She captures wild ferals, chases roadrunners from her Bohemian rainbow garden, builds, and writes things and ponders “What if?” on a daily basis.