Since Will Trent doesn’t have many main cast members, viewers have gotten the chance to really get to know all five of them in the past two seasons, making the TV show’s character ranking fairly simple. The ABC police procedural crime drama, created by Karin Slaughter, Liz Heldens, and Daniel T. Thomsen, is based on the characters in Slaughter’s Will Trent book series. While almost everyone in the crime drama is pulled from the novels, Will Trent (the show) strays a bit from the source material concerning its stories, cases, and character details/backgrounds.
Despite forging its own path instead of directly adapting the books, Will Trent has been a major success for ABC. It has consistently achieved impressive ratings throughout its 23 episodes, and it has only gotten better as time goes on. A TV show increasing its ratings in its second season is almost unheard of. Will Trent can attribute its accomplishments to its great writing, ability to separate its story from other police procedurals, intriguing cases, mind-blowing twists, and the cast’s performances, of course. Without the Will Trent cast and characters, the series wouldn’t be as successful as it’s been.
Michael Ormewood
Played By Jake McLaughlin
As if anyone ever had a doubt, Jake McLaughlin’s Detective Michael Ormewood is Will Trent‘s worst (main) character. McLaughlin is fantastic in the role, as the actor has been in his previous TV shows (e.g., Quantico). However, the reasoning behind Ormewood’s last placement has nothing to do with McLaughlin’s performance and everything to do with the fact that his character is a horrible person throughout season 1. Yes, Ormewood experiences some subtle character development in Will Trent season 2’s story, but it is not enough to surpass the likes of his partner, Angie, or Will, Faith, or Amanda.
Ormewood is a cop who would fit right along with the officers of the Intelligence Unit in Chicago PD. He doesn’t exactly play by the rules, and he’s a hothead. Ormewood often lets his anger get the best of him, which is why he treats suspects and witnesses so poorly in season 1. However, he does get better in season 2. At the beginning of Will Trent, Ormewood is just a one-dimensional character who is easy to root against. Thankfully, the show peels back his layers as the episodes continue, which is why it becomes harder to dislike Ormewood in season 2.
Will Trent giving Ormewood an adversary (his wife, Gina) during the season 2 finale also significantly helps his growth.Ormewood’s anger management issues are explored, as well as his seemingly perfect home life, which truly is the furthest thing from perfect. Will Trent giving Ormewood an adversary (his wife, Gina) during the season 2 finale also significantly helps his growth. Just as he’s becoming a better father and trying to be a better husband, Gina wants to take her and Ormewood’s two kids away from him, setting up an intriguing story for McLaughlin’s character and his development in season 3.
Angie Polaski
Played By Erika Christensen
Detective Angie Polaski’s past is incredibly tragic, but it has defined her character for way too long, which is partly why she’s towards the bottom of this list. Erika Christensen’s character in the ABC TV show Will Trent is easy to sympathize with given her history. However, that hasn’t stopped Angie from being Will Trent‘s most frustrating character. Her choices (at work and in her personal life) are baffling, to say the least. Angie has failed to grow over the course of the crime drama’s two seasons — if anything, the character has regressed, as proven by the season 2 finale.
After two seasons of only five series regulars in Will Trent, Gina Rodriguez joins the main cast in season 3 as Marion Alba, an Assistant District Attorney who works with Will to investigate a crime concerning Atlanta gangs. Will and Marion’s first impression reportedly doesn’t go smoothly, but many believe a romance between them could develop when season 3 premieres.
The exhausting back and forth between Will and Angie is also a detriment to her character. Their relationship is the furthest thing from healthy as Angie pushes him away at any chance she gets (by deliberately hurting him) and Will keeps running back for more. Will and Angie understand one another on a level that no one else does. However, their relationship’s foundation is trauma, and they will never get to move on from it if they keep rekindling their toxic flame. Thankfully, Will Trent season 2 seemingly manages to break Will and Angie up for good when Will arrests Angie.
Angie’s heart is almost always in the right place, but she frequently makes the wrong decision. Consequently, Angie’s cover-up of Lenny Broussard’s murder catches up to her at the end of Will Trent season 2, and Will makes the difficult choice to arrest her instead of continuing the cover-up. Christensen is expected to return in season 3, so, Angie isn’t leaving Will Trent. It’s unclear what comes next for Angie, but, hopefully, her luck starts to turn around and the series gives her room to grow after hitting rock bottom in the season 2 finale.
Amanda Wagner
Played By Sonja Sohn
GBI Deputy Director Amanda Wagner is an uncompromising and tough leader, making it difficult to get to know her in Will Trent. Nevertheless, Amanda is respected, and like many other characters, as the story goes on, her emotional side comes out a bit more, endearing her to the audience. Amanda’s exterior is tough, but that’s because there’s a lot of hurt hiding underneath. She faced unbelievable adversity as a young Black female cop in the 1980s, and yet Amanda still made it to the top and is now the GBI’s Deputy Director, making her arc all the more inspiring and interesting.
Sadly, many people can relate to Amanda and her story in Will Trent. However, relatability is a very important factor when it comes to developing strong, complex characters, and that’s why Amanda is one of the better characters in the ABC crime drama. There is still some mystery surrounding Amanda, which makes her all the more intriguing. As Amanda’s backstory continues to be unveiled in Will Trent season 3, she will only continue to grow, as will her captivating mother/son bond with Will.
Faith Mitchell
Played By Iantha Richardson
Mitchell, her character is the slightest bit off-putting due to her resentment towards Will Trent. Since Will is the ABC police procedural’s main character, viewers are wired to like him from the get-go. So, when it becomes very clear that Faith isn’t a fan of her new partner, it’s harder to like her. However, as Will Trent season 1 goes on, the audience learns more about Faith and her background, warming up to her and her place in the TV series.
Will Trent season 3 will consist of 18 episodes and is expected to premiere in early 2025.
Faith is easy to like just by being herself. She’s charming, interesting, strong, and overall just a very likable person. Not only is Richardson’s character endearing, but she’s also a very good cop, which is obviously a necessary quality to have in a police procedural series. It’s fun to watch Faith solve cases alongside her partner, and it’s entertaining to experience her personal story (and relationships) playing out on the screen.
Although Will and Angie’s relationship has been at the center of Will Trent since the beginning, Will and Faith’s (platonic) connection is inarguably the best one in the TV show.
Faith’s relationship with her son as a single mom is a cornerstone of her arc as it’s quite compelling and is a large part of who she is. Her will-they/won’t-they romance with Luke in Will Trent season 2 will likely play an important role in season 3 since she finally commits to him during the season 2 finale.
Faith and Amanda’s dynamic is also entertaining. Amanda is something of a mother figure for Faith, and there’s still a lot to unpack between them in the series. Last but not least, although Will and Angie’s relationship has been at the center of Will Trent since the beginning, Will and Faith’s (platonic) connection is inarguably the best one in the TV show. They start as somewhat adversaries but quickly form a bond built on trust that will only get stronger as Will Trent continues with season 3.
Will Trent
Played By Ramón Rodríguez
It should come as no surprise that Ramón Rodríguez’s Special Agent Will Trent is the best character in Will Trent. He’s the ABC crime drama’s eponymous character, meaning that viewers are inherently ingrained to like him. But that’s only at the start. After the premiere, Will had to convince viewers why they should continue rooting for him, and he quickly proved why he’s the protagonist in season 1. Will is relatable, good-natured, highly observant (which is why he’s such a good GBI agent), complex, considerate, funny, and everything someone would ever want in a main character.
Like Angie, Will’s past is a large part of who he is, but it doesn’t define him (even if he thinks it does).
At the end of the day, the character that viewers care the most about is Will, and for good reason. The show has done a good job of making the audience feel attached to Will. Viewers always want what’s best for Will, no matter how many times life knocks him down (and, unfortunately, Will has hit rock bottom multiple times). Will’s tragic past, which hasn’t been fully explored yet, also makes fans sympathize with him. Like Angie, Will’s past is a large part of who he is, but it doesn’t define him (even if he thinks it does).
Rodríguez’s masterful performance as Will also plays a significant role in why Will is the best character in the TV series. The actor is fantastic at playing all sides of Will, from his humor to his pain. Following Angie’s arrest in Will Trent season 2’s ending, it’s unclear what will happen to Will next. Hopefully, the experience will only make him stronger, but there is no doubt that Will’s upcoming story will continue to strengthen his role in the show. Ultimately, Rodríguez’s character is the face of Will Trent, making him the most important part of the ABC police procedural.
