Will Trent fans know something most critics and entertainment journalists don’t: It’s top-tier TV. The writing seamlessly blends the grimiest crime, traumatic backstories, chosen family, and 3-dimensional characters with hard-won arcs and gallows humor that feels like everyday life. The series operates at a high degree of emotional intelligence—it’s so relatable, so human, and so twisty that most don’t realize this ABC gem is actually mining diamonds.
The end of Season 3 left us gutted, and the cast was all messed up. Amanda (Sonja Sohn) got shot in the chest at point-blank range. Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) went down from complications with a brain tumor, and Angie (Erika Christensen) revealed she’s pregnant with Seth’s baby (Scott Foley), probably closing out her sweet but toxic romantic relationship with Will (Ramón Rodríguez). I hope that’s true, but I say “probably” because we know there’s an ‘oops, it was just that one-time’ chance it’s Will’s baby. Maybe. I would prefer not, but S3 dropped a big birth secret when it revealed Sheriff Caleb Broussard (Yul Vazquez) is Will’s biological father, setting up new family dynamics with ramifications in Season 4.
FIVE MONTHS LATER “… Speaking of Sharks” – Episode 401
Five months have passed and the team is still dealing with the fallout. Ya’ll, who the hell is that at Amanda’s desk? It’s a wait-and-see situation, but you’re not going to like it. Margaret Cho arrives as Dr. Roach, Will’s new therapist. And she’s just as quirky in her methods as the rest of the Will Trent extended family. How quirky, she has Will playing pickleball to work through his issue with suppressing his emotions. He admits it when he says, “I can repress my feelings under any circumstances.” Just when he was starting to heal after learning his mother’s tragic story and arresting the serial killer behind it, he might be losing his mama, Amanda. That, combined with Angie’s pregnancy and her amazing Doctor Boyfriend, has him crashing out. They say people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. But when it comes to the foster system and Holy Grace Children’s Home, Will isn’t listening.
Life has become “a carrot cake—with raisins,” and although that’s not bad, it’s not Will’s favorite. He’s way more salty than sweet, at least that’s what he wants everyone to believe. Although he still takes his little family, Nico (Cora Lu Tran) and Betty, for a larger family dinner with the Broussards. This is a meal that’ll make you smile.
But it’s not Will Trent unless everything devolves into criminal chaos. After individual updates on the lives of each of our favorites, the previously mentioned serial killer, James Ulster (Greg Germann), orchestrates a culinary prison break. That sets the GBI and Atlanta PD on the trail of Will’s fake father. Forcing Will to confront his two fathers, his internal duality, and the only mama he has left.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
The creators of Will Trent are back on the grill and serving up their episodes well-seasoned and juicy. The plot is plotting. And the villains detonate the kind of challenges that could make the heroes more heroic or more dead. When the cliffhanger at the end of episode 401 leads into 402 – ‘Love Takes Time” you’ll be wondering if our “pathologically scrupulous” Will has gone darkside.
Oh, but if you want more of Kevin Daniels as Franklin, you’re about to be rewarded. Whether he’s telling tales of heartbreak, admiring pretty jewels, or looking for snacks, Franklin is peak. He and Ormewood are a pair of strong, tall, highly effective cinnamon rolls with the zingiest one-liners.
Also, fans of reality TV-styled face-offs and perfectly executed wrestling moves are going to be all in on the fourth season opener of Will Trent. And the episode title “… Speaking of Sharks” has the cutest origin. Betty might want to defend her throne.
TUESDAY, JANUARY6, 2026
8PM ET – Will Trent: “… Speaking of Sharks” (401) * Season Premiere *
on ABC and Streaming Next Day on Hulu
Central Cast: Ramón Rodríguez as Will Trent, Erika Christensen as Angie, Iantha Richardson as Faith, Jake McLaughlin as Ormewood, Sonja Sohn as Amanda, Scott Foley as Dr. Seth, Yul Vazquez as Broussard, and Kevin Daniels as Franklin.
Five months after the attack on the GBI, a figure from Will’s past escapes prison, forcing him to defy orders and launch a search that rips open old wounds and threatens to destroy everything he’s fought to rebuild.
Rating: B++
Level of Enthusiasm: 96%