‘Will Trent’ Just Quietly Wrote Off the Series’ Most Promising New Romance

When Will Trent has its Season 4 premiere tomorrow, it'll feature a major shift in the personal life of Ramon Rodriguez's titular detective. Namely, this shift concerns Will's love life as his former girlfriend, Marion Alba (Gina Rodriguez), departed the show in Season 3 and potentially won't be returning for a while. Executive producer Liz Heldens previously discussed Rodriguez's departure with TVLine, saying that she could potentially come back in Season 4:

"Marion is not going to resurface before seasons' end. It's funny... when we started [Season 3], we were like, 'Oh, 18 episodes is the biggest order we've ever done!' And then when we got to the end, we were like, 'We don't have enough runway for everybody.' I think that Gina Rodriguez is wonderful. She pops off the screen. We love her...It was an amazing experience to work with her, and I wouldn't rule out her coming back in Season 4 at all."

While the stage is set for Gina Rodriguez to return to Will Trent, her character's departure brings an end to what was truly an interesting dynamic. Will's relationship with Marion opened up a new avenue for the series, which is known to prioritize character development over the procedural elements that usually drive its fellow cop shows. The end of that relationship also showcases that Will has a lot to work on before he can fully commit to a relationship.

Will & Marion's Relationship in 'Will Trent' Was Short-Lived, But Had Plenty of Promise

Marion Alba first appeared in the Season 3 premiere of Will Trent, "I'm a Guest Here". In her role as Assistant District Attorney, she worked with Will and his fellow officers, eventually becoming romantically involved with him in the Season 3 episode "No Faith In Second Chances". This was a major step forward for Will, as the first two seasons featured him trying to pursue a serious relationship with his on-again, off-again girlfriend/childhood friend Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen). Will eventually arrests Angie for covering up a murder in the Season 2 finale "Do You See the Vision?", which effectively changes their relationship; the fact that Angie meets another man, Seth (Scott Foley) and winds up pregnant with his child is yet another example of how much these two have changed.

Will and Marion's relationship hit a massive roadblock in Season 3's "Best of Your Recollection", where Will ended up accidentally shooting and killing a 14-year old. While the series usually shies away from the darker tone of Karin Slaughter's novels, this was a major twist that no one saw coming, and the impact it had on Will was immense. He emotionally pushes Marion away, leading to their breakup in the following episode "You're The Worst Person in the World." There is a glimmer of hope, as the Season 3 episode "One of Us Now" features a dream sequence where Will asks Marion to wait for him for at least two years. Should Will Trent continue, there's plenty of room for Gina Rodriguez to return, and for Will and Marion to try again.

'Will Trent' Season 4 Might Introduce A New Love Interest

While the door is open for Gina Rodriguez to return as Marion Alba, Will Trent could be introducing a new love interest for Will, according to Ramon Rodriguez. In an interview discussing Season 4, he had this to say: "There's just so many questions that we will get to explore – I mean, is there new love in Will's life?" Anyone who's read the Will Trent novels knows that this refers to Sara Linton, the protagonist of Karin Slaughter's Grant County novels and Will's eventual long-term love interest. Should Season 4 introduce Sara, it would be yet another major change in Will's life, but it would also close the door to any potential chance of his resuming his romantic relationship with Marion.

Will Trent is always going to be putting its leading man through change, whether it's upending his romantic relationships or having him discover his biological father. Time will tell if his connection to Marion is one of those changes that'll last.

Season 4 of Will Trent premieres January 6, 2026 on ABC; Seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.