While it’s too early to report that the ABC show is planning a trip to Grant County, series star/producer Ramón Rodríguez told TVLine that the other main character from Slaughter’s book has come up frequently in conversations with his fellow producers. Specifically, they’ve discussed when (and how) they should introduce Sara.
“We’ve talked about it,” the actor confirmed in an on-set interview. “You know, it’s a big deal. We’re not taking it lightly. It’s a huge character in the books and potentially a huge character in the series, so we wanted to be really mindful [about how we did 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 unfamiliar: The Will Trent series was preceded by Slaughter’s Grant County series. “Set in the fictional town of Heartsdale, Ga., in fictional Grant County, the story follows the perspectives of three main characters: Sara Linton, a pediatrician and part-time town coroner; her ex-husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, the sheriff; and his subordinate, Detective Lena Adams,” according to the official description.
Sara Linton was first introduced in 2001’s “Blindsighted,” and would later move to Slaughter’s Will Trent series, starting with the third season, 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 said will culminate in a “really intense” finale—“we’re really going to start having conversations about Season 3—what it’s going to be like, and what those arcs are going to be, and I’m sure the [Sara Linton] conversation will come up,” he said. “How do you bring that character into this world? Who could play that character? 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 do it right.
“Our showrunners, Liz [Heldens] and Dan [Thomsen], and all the producers, want to be really smart about how you bring a character that big in and do it justice,” Rodríguez stressed. “If and when, that timing is key…. There are fans of the books who want to see that [and] there are people who came to the show who never read the books, and now maybe will read the books. I know there’s a lot of talk about that, though.”
