ABC’s Definitive Book Adaptation Masterpiece Gears Up For Its Biggest Comeback After Cast Shakeup

While ABC’s biggest book adaptation won’t be back until early 2027, its arrival on Netflix will get the fan base even more excited about the show’s forthcoming return. It is not a bad time, all things considered, to be a fan of police procedurals. Not only has CBS’s Marshals turned Yellowstone into a cop show with a radical format shift, but the NCIS franchise’s umpteenth spinoff NICS: New York is one of Fall’s biggest new debuts.

This, combined with the fact that the Law & Order and FBI franchises are still going strong, not to mention the 9-1-1 shows, could leave viewers wondering whether there is any room for a more character-centric take on the genre to emerge as a network TV success story. Luckily, while action thrillers like Reacher, Cross, and Scarpetta have proven that book adaptations can thrive on streaming services, one Karin Slaughter adaptation is holding things down for character-focused police procedurals on network TV.

The upcoming Karin Slaughter series The Good Daughter will go straight to streaming on Peacock, but the author’s biggest small-screen hit so far airs on ABC. Adapted from the author’s novel series of the same name, the four-season ABC show Will Trent focuses on Ramón Rodríguez’s eponymous GBI agent and the mismatched team of colleagues who help him investigate criminal conspiracies in Atlanta, Georgia. Will Trent season 4’s ending radically altered the show’s lineup, killing off not one, but two major recurring characters in quick succession.

Will Trent’s Netflix Arrival Helps Bolster Season 5

ABC (via MovieStillsDb)

Will Trent has always been an admirably ruthless series, hewing close to the jaw-dropping shocks of Slaughter’s source books despite the show’s network home. Eager to compete with the harsher, darker edge of shows like Yellowstone and its spinoffs, Will Trent season 4, Episode 15, ”The Blank Expanse of Nothing,” saw the season’s overarching villain Adelaide Ulster unceremoniously murder Will’s surrogate mother Amanda.

While this was a shocking twist, viewers were at least somewhat assured that the major character’s death meant the rest of the supporting cast was presumably safe until season 5. Or, at least, that is what some viewers might have assumed until Angie’s love interest Seth tragically died after getting her to hospital in time to deliver their baby. While Seth initially seemed to emerge from the wreck with his life, he died from his injuries soon after.

Now, Will Trent’s arrival on the streaming service Netflix could not be better timed, as this gives existing viewers time to re-watch the series before season 5’s premiere while allowing new viewers to catch up. Last year, ABC broadcast reruns of the series, but this will no longer be necessary with the series streaming on Netflix and available for viewers to watch at their own pace.

What To Expect From Will Trent Season 5

While these two major Will Trent character deaths were jarring and came as a shock to viewers, the cast shake-ups also marks an exciting opportunity for the show’s creators to explore new storytelling opportunities in season 2. Obviously, Seth’s death means that Angie and Will’s potential romance is once again on the cards, although it will be a while before the pair are likely to make any moves in that department.

Meanwhile, Amanda’s death will see her replaced by series newcomer Alexandra Metz as the GBI’s new Deputy Director, Birdie Palmer, who is unlikely to be as much of a mentor and mother figure to Will as her predecessor. This means that Will could likely find himself helping to parent Angie and Seth’s baby just after losing the closest thing to a mother that he has ever known.

It goes without saying that this will open up a lot of old wounds for the show’s title character, making season 5 a must-watch. However, as viewers who check out the ABC show on Netflix will soon learn, Will Trent’s title character is nothing if not resilient in the face of adversity.

Release Date

January 3, 2023

Directors

Howard Deutch, Eric Dean Seaton, Holly Dale, Lea Thompson, Patricia Cardoso, Sheree Folkson, Bille Woodruff, Erika Christensen, Gail Mancuso, Geary McLeod, Jason Ensler, Mark Tonderai, Paul McGuigan

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  Ramón Rodríguez

  Will Trent

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  Erika Christensen

  Angie Polaski