It’s too early to report that ABC is planning a trip to Grant County, but another person in Slaughter’s book tells TVLine that he’s been talking to his producers regularly. Specifically, they’ve discussed when (and how) to introduce Sara.
“We’ve talked about it,” the actor confirmed in an on-set interview. “You know, it’s a big deal. It’s not something to take lightly. He’s a big character in the book and he could be a big character in the show; so we want to be really careful [about how we do it].
We also have a great cast, so you have to weave things in a way,” Rodríguez continued, alluding to the complexity of bringing Sara into a group of established actors. “Anytime you’re in another production and it’s a big production, you want to be really smart about it.”
For those who don’t know: The Will Trent series was preceded by Slaughter’s Grant County series. “Set in the fictional town of Heartsdale, Ga., in the fictional Grant County, the story takes place from the perspectives of three main characters: Sara Linton, a pediatrician and part-time coroner for the town; her ex-husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, the town’s police chief; and his subordinate, Detective Lena Adams,” according to the official description.
Sara Linton was first introduced in 2001’s “Blindsighted,” and then moved to Slaughter’s Will Trent series, starting with the third installment, 2009’s “Undone.” Will and Sara eventually became romantically involved.
Now that Season 2 of ABC’s Will Trent has wrapped production—with three episodes remaining, which Rodríguez says will culminate in a “really intense” finale—“we’re really going to start having conversations about Season 3—what that’s going to look like, and what those arcs are going to be, and I’m sure the [Sara Linton] conversation will come up,” he says. “How do you bring that character into this world? Who could play that role? I’m sure there are a lot of ideas out there, but that’s something we’re definitely keeping in mind…. We just want to make sure we get it right.”
“Our showrunners, Liz [Heldens] and Dan [Thomsen], and all the producers, want to be really smart about how you bring a character like that in and do it justice,” Rodríguez emphasizes. “If and when, that timing is key…. There are fans of the books who want to see that [and] there are people who have been on the show but have never read the books and now can read the books. But I know there’s a lot of talk about that.”
