Justin Hartley‘s Tracker has now aired five episodes in a row with Eric Graise missing in the role of Bobby — and no new explanation has been given as to how long the surprising exit could last.
During the Sunday, March 23, episode of the hit CBS series, Hartley’s Colter once again relied on Randy’s (Chris Lee) technological skills to help solve a case. Randy has become a staple on Tracker after temporarily replacing his cousin, Bobby, as Colter’s hacking assistant.
Graise’s prolonged absence, however, has come as a shock for Tracker fans. The actor, 35, has appeared in nearly every episode — only missing three in season 1 — before Lee’s character was introduced in February amid Bobby’s “family” issues.
Tracker has yet to release an update on Bobby, and Graise hasn’t publicly addressed his onscreen hiatus. The casting shakeup comes after Robin Weigert exited the show ahead of season 2. Her character, Teddi, was written off in the premiere by having her wife, Velma (Abby McEnany), mention that they needed some distance. Velma has since been working with Reenie (Fiona Rene) and Teddi isn’t discussed despite her large presence in the show’s first season.
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“[Teddi] is going to be there for a while. She is helping her mom get sorted. I was getting in the way you might say and it really wasn’t good,” Velma said at the beginning of season 2.. “So I came back. Don’t you worry because I am keeping busy.”
It was confirmed in August 2024 that Weigert, 55, would not return as a series regular. Hartley, 48, teased one month later how the story lines would evolve, telling TV Insider, “At the end of last season, Reenie decides that she’s leaving her firm and going to go it on her own. She’s got that big life change and, in a way, she teams up with Velma and you’ll see a lot of the two of them working together, which is a really interesting dynamic.”
Hartley noted that other fan favorites would remain on screen. “[Reenie and Velma] both have common goals with just some completely different ways of going about their business,” he continued. “Bobby, our computer whiz, is hacking away. Then we have a couple of really cool surprises coming for Reenie.”
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At the time, Hartley also explained how Jensen Ackles and Melissa Roxburgh would return to play his character, Colter’s siblings despite their busy schedules. (After both being introduced in the first season, Ackles, 46, booked the upcoming Prime Video thriller series Countdown while Roxburgh, 31, stars on NBC’s drama The Hunting Party.)
“[Melissa]’s show ends [production] way before we end so we can bring her back in the latter episodes of our show,” Hartley added in September 2024. “And then Jennifer Morrison‘s coming back to direct episode 6. I’m sure her character will be back.”
Tracker, which has already been renewed for a third season, airs on CBS Sundays at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
