The Will Trent series premiere kicked off with special appearances from Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Jennifer Morrison, with Gosselaar continuing to pop up sporadically throughout the remainder of season 1, but updates on his involvement in season 2 have been disappointing. ABC’s police procedural crime drama centers on a unique agent in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) with many special talents and a traumatic past — Will Trent, played by Ramón Rodríguez. One of those people from the main character’s horrific childhood is Gosselaar’s character, Paul Campano.
Gosselaar, best known for his iconic role as Zack Morris on Saved by the Bell, likely won’t be returning as Paul to the cast of Will Trent season 2. In an interview with TVLine, executive producers Daniel Thomsen and Liz Heldens answered the question of whether Gosselaar would appear in any episodes of Will Trent season 2. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Paul’s return is in the works for the second season, as Gosselaar is busy with his new series — Found on NBC. The producers explained:
Thomsen: We want [Gosselaar back]. I mean, we’re so excited that his show is doing well. Really happy for him. We worked with him on [Fox’s] The Passage, too, and he brings a lot to the table.
Heldens: We’re trying to do our best with this 10-episode order.
At first, it seems like Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s Paul is an arrogant jerk who happens to be the father of the missing girl Will is trying to find in the series premiere Will Trent. However, as the first episode goes on, it becomes clear that Will and Paul have a complicated past, as they knew each other growing up in the same group home. However, the two weren’t friends as kids, as Paul bullied Will and made his time in foster care even more difficult. As a result, Will and Paul don’t get along as adults (at first) either.
With Will’s new struggles surrounding discovering his parents, it helps that he has Paul to lean on as he deals with it all.
Will ends up saving Paul’s daughter, for which he’s forever grateful to the GBI agent. While Paul’s personality may seem rude and selfish at first, he’s much more complex than that, which will begin to become apparent once they reconnect. Gosselaar reprised his role as Paul for a few more episodes in season 1 to help Will solve a case and bond over their shared trauma. Sadly, one of the lingering questions over Will Trent season 2 is whether the producers and Gosselaar will be able to work out their schedules to bring the actors back.
Since Will Trent season 2 will only be 10 episodes, it makes sense that the producers and Mark-Paul Gosselaar couldn’t squeeze his return into that short amount of time. However, Gosselaar’s appearance (no matter how big or small) would certainly elevate the season. The writers have set this series up to succeed after the shocking end of Will Trent season 2, episode 1, and Paul’s return to the show could make this season even better than it has been so far.
Like Angie Polaski, Paul can relate to Will on a level that most people can’t. Their similar upbringings have led to a complicated bond that’s one of the show’s highlights (especially since the two characters are the definition of polar opposites). With Will’s newfound struggles with finding out about his parents, it would be helpful to have Paul to lean on as he processes it all. But even if Gosselaar doesn’t reprise his role as Paul in season 2, hopefully the cast and producers can make Will Trent season 3 a success (if ABC renews the series).
