Will Trent, a television crime drama series is based on the novels by Karin Slaughter. The show premiered on January 3, 2023, on ABC, and centers around a tough but talented agent who happens to be an orphan and dyslexic. Ramón Rodríguez plays this the agent. His character has the most success in solving cases at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in the show.
The original books have not been followed in the Will Trent TV series. Author and executive producer Karin Slaughter wants her audience to understand that there are differences between the show and her best-selling books.
Will Trent series has been able to stand apart because of its compelling stories. However, the show and the novels differ in some important ways.
Identifying differences that make Will Trent's series different from the novel series
1) The origin of the story
Michael Ormewood and Angie Polaski were the main characters of Will Trent's first novel. It was only to set up the introduction of Will. In the sequel novel, Fractured, he assumed an even more central role.
The excellent cast and lighter tone of the TV series are what make it unique. Major developments for Will's character occur in the second season of the show. In episode 5, he discovers a shocking secret about his mentor Amanda, sees a family member for the first time, and loses someone he loves in a bombing.
2) Ramón Rodríguez's physical appearance:
The fact that Rodríguez doesn't resemble the tall, lean, blond man Slaughter wrote about in the books was immediately apparent to viewers. But from the moment we meet him, it's obvious that he perfectly captures Trent's eccentric nature, as seen in the moment he tries to pass off the puppy he found.
Showrunner Liz Heldens agreed to this saying that as the series progresses, more storytelling opportunities will arise. The character's background is revealed in more detail on screen.
3) The TV series differs in some characters from its books:
One major character missing from the first season of Will Trent, is Sara Linton, his longtime girlfriend. Instead, Will gets romantically involved with Angie.
There's another character who has caused a lot of discussion among Will Trent fans: Michael Ormewood. In the books, he's super violent and corrupt - he even kills his wife. So when fans saw Ormewood (played by Jake McLaughlin) in the TV series, they expected a pretty dark cop. But many people were surprised to find out that Ormewood is a pretty good guy on the show.
4) The TV series uses a different tone from the books
Despite all the murders and crimes, there aren't many extremely explicit sequences in the series. However, it doesn't hold back when it comes to violent and gruesome events. The show airs on network television, so it is reasonable that its tone is lighter and includes a lot more humor compared to its novel counterparts.
Will Trent is streaming on the ABC website. It's also available on Hulu and Apple TV.
