Will Trent & The Hunting Party Understand What Makes Procedurals Work (And It’s Not the Cases)

Procedurals are the most popular type of primetime drama.

Why? Because typically, you don’t have to binge the entire series to casually watch a few reruns.

I’ve been there, having watched several reruns of Law & Order: SVU and CSI, because it’s easy to get lost in them.

Years ago, procedurals were better at balancing weekly cases with character arcs.

Nowadays, weekly cases take center stage, and it’s difficult to stay invested without knowing how these crimes affect your favorite investigators.

But where The Hunting Party and Will Trent excel is in showcasing twisty, unique weekly cases, highlighting how they affect the team, and featuring strong team relationships.

We’ve loved watching how the teams on both shows have evolved from coworkers to “found family” and how little moments enhance an episode.

The Evolution From Coworkers to Family

When Will Trent began in 2023, most of the team interacted as polite coworkers.

Will only had history with Amanda and Angie, and almost everyone disliked Will.

Once Will learned to open up, he and Faith became close friends and have one of the best partnerships.

It took Ormewood a long time to warm up to Will.

But we loved it when he referred to Will as one of “his people” when Will was trapped inside the cult on Will Trent Season 3 Episode 13.

Everyone knows how relieved I was when Angie and Will transitioned back from civil coworkers to family.

Their break-up was brutal, but they’d always rescue each other. Everyone on this team would risk their lives for one another.

Things were different for The Hunting Party team. None of them knew each other before being thrown together.

It was challenging for Bex because she didn’t know much about the Pit or how many prisoners escaped.

She suddenly had to trust other people to have her back, whom she barely knew.

That trust developed over time, and Bex has been kidnapped twice.

One of the most emotional moments was when she wanted to kill Ron Simms, and Shane and Hassani stopped her on The Hunting Party Season 2 Episode 1.

They would have done anything to save her.

We’ve got so much more to learn about these three, as they are all hiding pivotal secrets about themselves that could affect some cases.

But we know that they will work things out together.

Little Moments Often Enhance Episodes and Team Relationships

Team friendships don’t have to just be serious and jumping into action to save one another.

While that’s a major part of procedurals, relationships need cute little moments for them to thrive.

Will Trent started these in Will Trent Season 2 when they began having impromptu family dinners and game nights, and the series continued this tradition after Faith moved in with Ormewood, as a way for everyone to let loose.

Recently, Faith and Franklin accompanied Ormewood to chemotherapy to cheer him up and watch reality television to distract him.

That scene showed how a little tradition could go a long way toward lightening the mood and showing their close bond.

While many of The Hunting Party team’s scenes lean more serious, they’ve also tried more levity since Season 2 began, just with the banter since they’ve been reunited.

I love that they’ve included Morales in their group more, and I’d love it if they had more brainstorm sessions each week, whether they include breakfast, pizza, or beer.

Many of the team’s fun scenes have included food or darts, and we’ve heard rumors of a karaoke scene. We can’t wait to see the team belt out some tunes together.

That will be a bonding experience.

Over to you, TV Fanatics.

How important are team relationships to you in procedurals? Do you enjoy the team dynamics on Will Trent and The Hunting Party?

Let us know in the comments.

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
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