The best fictional detectives have memorable quirks, a consistent trope whether you’re reading or watching a classic Hercule Poirot mystery or streaming Rian Johnson’s latest Knives Out adventure. ABC introduces their answer to Benoit Blanc in the new mystery series, Will Trent. What sets Trent apart from a landscape full of memorable and iconic detectives? Well, for starters, there’s his adorable pet Betty, a wide-eyed chihuahua who becomes symbolic of the detective’s complicated past.
(ABC)
Set in Georgia, we’re introduced to Special Agent Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) at a moment in time when he has to go against the grain in pretty much every aspect of life. Having recently taken down a ring of corrupt cops, he is now public enemy number one as far as his colleagues are concerned. Having just been guilt-tripped into rescuing his deceased neighbor’s dog Betty, Will has to confront his own past when a teenage girl is abducted, the daughter of his childhood bully (Mark-Paul Gosselaar). Worse yet, the lone wolf detective is assigned a partner (Iantha Richardson) on the case whose mother was one of the cops he recently put away. What could go wrong?
Like the best detectives, Will Trent has a lot of quirks, both as a series and as a character. Based on the bestselling book series by Karin Slaughter, the hour-long mystery series takes a little bit of time to get off the ground, with a pilot that not only has to establish the lead detective, but also his core team at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Having seen the first two episodes, some of the exposition is delayed until the second episode, but the pilot feels a bit weighed down at times. Thankfully, the cliffhanger mystery is enticing enough, and audiences who return a week later will be rewarded.
The series is a mystery/crime show at its core, but there are enough moments of comedy and saturated colors to to showcase that it’s not beholden to all of the genre’s tropes. Will Trent is an interesting character, mocked for his three-piece suits and guarded nature, but lovable right from the start. Like an onion (glass or otherwise), the character has a lot of layers that get peeled back as the other characters interact with him. He is given somewhat of a love interest in Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen), a coworker who also grew up in the group home, but if you thought there was going to be much of a romance to be found, the show quickly pulls that rug out from under your feet.
(ABC/Art Streiber)
Like the cases he solves, Will Trent keeps you guessing with a series that not only sets up suspects but also examines evidence through the mind of a person with dyslexia. At its core, it’s a show about a man who thinks he can be an island, learning the hard way how impossible that is to do. As he cracks cases, he’ll also have to crack the veneer around himself to let a select group of people in. With their help, he’ll not only solve crimes, but may also begin to feel like a whole person for once in his life.
Will Trent premieres tonight on ABC and will also be available to stream on Hulu the day after each episode airs.