Gina Rodriguez Joins ‘Will Trent’ Season 3: New ADA Marion Alba Shakes Up the Drama
ABC’s Will Trent has been a hit with fans and critics as it enters its third season, but now the show is getting an extra boost from a big name that’s sure to please viewers of the procedural drama. A new ADA is on the way, and you might remember her from a short-lived TV series called Jane the Virgin.
According to Deadline, Gina Rodriguez will join Season 3 of Will Trent as Assistant District Attorney Marion Alba. The character is described as both “charming” and “confident,” and she’ll work closely with the title character, played by Ramón Rodriguez. The pair don’t get off to a great start, but they soon find their way to each other as they team up to investigate a gang-related crime in Atlanta. This will be a recurring role for Rodriguez and continues her relationship with ABC after two seasons on Not Dead Yet, where she also served as an executive producer. She also co-hosts the game show Lucky 13 with Shaquille O’Neal.
Will Trent is a procedural drama based on the novel series of the same name by Karin Slaughter. The series follows Will Trent (Rodriguez), who was abandoned at birth and spent his adult life in the Atlanta foster care system. This experience had a lasting impact on him and shaped him into a Special Agent at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Despite being dyslexic, Will is known for solving many cases at the GBI and his sharp intelligence makes him one of the best at his job. The series also stars Erika Christensen, Sonja Sohn, Iantha Richardson, and Jake McLaughlin.
Will Trent was well received by critics and audiences, earning an 89 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and becoming a consistent viewership performer for ABC. With multi-platform viewing becoming a key factor in determining success on network television, Will Trent saw some of its slowest viewership numbers in its second season, improving year-over-year from its first season on the network. Rodriguez was also noted for his performance on the show, earning a Critics Choice TV Award nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
Rodriguez is no stranger to television or film. Gina Rodriguez rose to prominence when she played Jane Villanueva on Jane the Virgin for five seasons and 100 episodes on The CW. The role earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, and she used that success as a stepping stone to starring roles in several notable films, including Deepwater Horizon, Annihilation, Miss Bala, and I Want You Back.