ABC's sophomore season of "Will Trent" is doubling down on its Georgia roots, having cemented itself as a new darling in network TV's lineup. According to WABE, the drama, drawn from Karin Slaughter's novels, sticks to its Georgia Bureau of Investigation roots with a local focus that's a far cry from the usual Hollywood backdrops.
The procedural, venturing into its second act, is not just about solving crimes, but also about deepening connections with its characters, and by extension, the city of Atlanta, it so intimately portrays. "I think season one, we got to know our characters, and season two is when we really fall in love with them,” location manager Patrick Rofoli revealed in a statement obtained by WABE. The show's embrace of its setting even extends to little nods only Atlantans might catch, "It might be something as small as having the Bank of America Tower or something in the background,” added Rofoli, seemingly proud to include these local Easter eggs.
"It’s so nice to be able to showcase the city that you’re shooting in," Ellen Blum, co-executive producer with deep Atlanta TV production roots, told WABE. Unlike stream-happy shows like "Ozark" that binge in one go, "Will Trent," demands a hefty production pace, churning out multiple episodes concurrently and consistently throughout the month.
That breakneck schedule is felt all across the production team. "I’m always dealing with the places we’ve already shot at, I’m dealing with the places that we are currently shooting at today and the places we’ll be shooting at next week," Rofoli explained. The series has become a beacon of resilience and gratitude in Georgia's film industry, "We have one of the best crews that I’ve worked with in Atlanta for a very long time," Rofoli told WABE, acknowledging the past year's industry turmoil, and bearing a hopeful eye toward the future.
