The Biggest Differences Between the Books and the Show ‘Will Trent’
When Will Trent was slated to premiere in January 2023, fans of the series were on alert; how closely would the ABC series follow the books? Now that the show is in its second season, it’s easy to see how the series has stayed true to Karin Slaughter’s original books (and how it has strayed from the source material). It can be difficult to successfully adapt a book to the screen, but the team behind Will Trent are committed to getting it right. The storylines featured in the series have proven that the show has its strengths, but there are still some pretty clear differences between the series and the books.
The Origin of ‘Will Trent’ The first book in the Will Trent series, Triptych, was published in 2006. At first, the series seemed to focus on a veteran detective named Michael Ormewood and his partner, Angie Polaski, but that was just a way to introduce Slaughter’s main character, Will (a damaged but effective special agent working for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation). Will became even more of a focus in the second book in the series, titled Fractured. The best-selling books continue to attract fans, largely because of Will’s character, but also because of Slaughter’s thrilling and suspenseful mysteries that take place in each novel. To date, there have been 11 books in the Will Trent series, with a new title due to be released in August 2024. Will Trent, the TV show, has achieved an impressive 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes since its debut last year. It has distinguished itself from the books with its impressive cast and a much lighter tone than the text. This season alone has seen major plot developments for Will, as he loses his lover in a bombing, meets his first family member (after growing up in an orphanage), and discovers a big secret about his mentor and mother figure, Amanda, in Episode 5. One of the most obvious differences between the Will Trent books and the TV show involves the various physical descriptions of the characters, as in Slaughter’s books, Will is described as white, tall, thin, and blond. Ramon Rodriguez doesn’t fit that description, which makes for some interesting drama in the series, as Will sees himself as an outsider (something a tall, blond guy doesn’t necessarily have to deal with). In the books, Amanda and Will’s partner, Faith, are also white, but in the TV show, they are portrayed by two black actors (Sonja Sohn and Iantha Richardson, respectively).
One thing that book fans have been vocal about is the lack of a main character in the novels. Sara Linton first appeared in Book 3 of the Will Trent (Undone) series as Will’s longtime girlfriend, a police detective who often helps solve cases in the area and continues to be a big part of Will’s life throughout the series. However, she was completely written out of the show. Rodriguez addressed her absence in a recent interview with TVLine, saying, “We’ve talked about it. You know, it’s a big deal. We don’t take it lightly. It’s a big character in the books and it’s likely going to be a big character in the series, so we want to be really mindful [about how we do it.]” He also noted that now that the team is starting to discuss what to include in Season 3, the conversation about how to bring Sara into Will Trent’s world has become a major one. Rodriguez added, “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 maybe will read the books. But I know there’s a lot of conversation about that.”
