ABC Makes Decision on ‘Will Trent’ Season 5

Will Trent just got some good news.

Deadline reports that the ABC crime drama has been renewed for Season 5.

The news shouldn’t come as a surprise. The series, which premiered its fourth season in January, is ABC’s top linear draw, “ranking as the most-watched ABC scripted series in Live+Same Day viewership.” The outlet also reported that the character procedural is “a favorite among network brass.” Will Trent was one of eight ABC shows that were a lock for next season, so it was only a matter of time.

Based on Karin Slaughter’s New York Times bestselling series of the same name, Will Trent was developed by Liz Heldens and Daniel Thomsen and premiered in January 2023. Ramón Rodriguez portrays the titular Special Agent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) who “was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. Now, Will uses his unique point of view in the pursuit of justice and has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.”

Along with Rodriguez, Will Trent stars Erika Christensen, Iantha Richardson, Jake McLaughlin, Kevin Daniels, and Sonja Sohn. Heldens, Thomsen, and Rodriguez serve as executive producers alongside Karine Rosenthal, Karin Slaughter, Oly Obst, Jason Ensler, and Ellen Marie Blum. Heldens, Thomsen, and Rosenthal also serve as showrunners. The series is produced by 20th Television.

Filming wrapped on Will Trent’s fourth season earlier this month. Season 4 is the series’ most-watched season to date, and is the first ABC series to grow across each of its four seasons since Scandal. According to Nielsen and ABC, Will Trent is also the first broadcast series to do so in nearly 14 years, so the renewal only makes sense.

Will Trent was renewed alongside The Rookie, which is coming back for Season 9. ABC also previously picked up Grey’s Anatomy, Abbott Elementary, High Potential, 9-1-1, and 9-1-1: Nashville for new seasons. The only shows remaining on the bubble on ABC are Tim Allen’s sophomore sitcom Shifting Gears, and freshman shows Scrubs and R.J. Decker.

It’s unclear when Season 5 of Will Trent is expected to premiere, but more information should be announced in the coming weeks for Disney’s Upfronts. For now, new episodes of Will Trent air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu.