Ramon Rodriguez Teases Season 3 (Exclusive)

The long wait is almost over: Will Trent Season 3 finally premieres on Tuesday, January 7th, and the episode will answer some of our most burning questions after the jaw-dropping cliffhanger… at least we hope so!

To get a feel for what lies ahead for the series’ third arc, TV Insider caught up with the lead star and co-executive producer Ramón Rodríguez.

“Season 3 picks up where we left off at the end of Season 2. We just know he disappeared. We don’t know where he went. We don’t know what he did. And we learn that he went to … rural Tennessee with him and Betty and he kind of tried to start over,” Rodriguez teased. “We can tell right away that it’s been a while. He doesn’t look the same, he’s not in his suit, he’s not clean-shaven… and so he takes some time to reflect and come away and start over and , I think, really question whether his life he pursued in the GBI was right, and is that what he wants to do? And then it was a lot of self-reflection. He had to have that walk.”

In fact, the new trailer for the season shows Will in much more casual gear than we’re used to seeing him walking around in — until Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) comes in and demands that he return to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations where he belongs.

“It’s not until Amanda comes back and tells him about this case that’s happening that involves someone from Will’s past that lures him back in. He reluctantly goes back,” Rodriguez explained. “Everything he’s left behind, his relationship with Faith (Iantha Richardson) is really in terrible shape because he didn’t let her know anything. We see that him and Angie (Erika Christensen) not even (speak). She is no longer APD. And we see that moment when he goes home for the first time, and he walks into his house, and Nico is upset with him, and we see that dining room table that represented everything about his potential future with Angie, and that is no longer the case. So we’re kind of picking him up after his decision to leave, and a lot of those relationships we’re going to explore over the course of the season and how they potentially get that back.”

His relationship with Angie, who has not only been his primary love interest in the series but also his oldest friend, will be particularly strained by his decision to turn her in to the police to cover up Crystal’s murder of her abuser.

“It’s really, really rough for the first several episodes, and once Will and Angie finally come face to face, it’s not an easy thing. They both have their reasons for being upset with each other, and Will has his reasons for why he did what he did and so it’s really complicated and hopefully the audience will be happy,” Rodriguez said.

However, what makes Season 3 unique, according to Rodriguez, is not just a resolution of the pre-existing dramas. In fact, it’s the newcomers of the season who really promise to spice things up for the crew.

Disney/Nino Muñoz

“We’ve got Gina Rodriguez coming into play Marian Alba, ADA, assistant district attorney. We’ve got new love interests coming in. … We also introduced a great character of Raphael, who’s also someone from Will’s past, like Will on a or another way is indebted to from his childhood…Raphael is involved in criminal activity and he’s the leader of a gang that Will is investigating. And then it gets really complicated and it gets very personal,” he teased.

“Where last season we felt like Will was really haunted and exploring things from his past and his childhood, I think this one is a lot about where he is now and what’s going on. And we also have some pretty intense events that end up really affecting Will — and possibly forever,” Rodriguez continued.

Of course, even he knows that the primary draw is figuring out how Will Trent’s sheer decision to walk away from the love of his life will affect everyone in his inner circle: “I think for the audience that has seen, will They’re really excited to see what happens with Will: Where was he? And what’s his potential future like with or without Angie?”

Will TrentSeason 3 Premiere, Tuesday, January 7, 8/7c, ABC