Tracker is likely going through some cast reconfiguration in season 3, but which fan-favorite characters are returning — and which aren’t?
Since Tracker premiered in February 2024, viewers have become accustomed to watching their favorite fictional survivalist Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) travel the country to help solve various missing persons cases with help from his team: handler Velma (Abby McEnany), hacker Bobby (Eric Graise) and attorney Reenie (Fiona Rene).
Imagine Us‘ surprise when executive producer Elwood Reid teased onscreen changes.
“I do think it’s evolving. If I can’t evolve those characters — Randy or Reenie or Bobby — they’re not just people that just pick up the phone and go, ‘OK, here is the answer.’ That’s when the show is phoning it in,” he explained to Us Weekly in May. “The challenge is when you got to learn about them, which I thought was interesting. That’s the challenge of the show is not having it fall into a formula.”
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Reid noted that they didn’t want Tracker to “fall into complacency.”
“The only rule I really have of the show is each week Colter is going to come to a new place and there’s going to be a new case. How he gets those answers and what he uses on the team, that’s all something that’s up for grabs,” Reid teased. “Meeting these [local] weird characters is something we’re going to try to do more of as the season goes on. Just Colter coming in and interacting with other characters. That’s fun to see Justin flex those muscles with really good guest cast members.”
Keep scrolling to see which Tracker characters are returning for season 3 — and which aren’t:
Colter Shaw
There would be no Tracker without Hartley’s character, but is there a chance Colter could die later in the series? “I don’t want our audience to forget that this man is mortal, he’s not a superhero. He can die!” Hartley told The Hollywood Reporter in April. “The things he is doing are very, very dangerous.”
Reid elaborated to Us one month later, saying, “There’s the physical element of it. But then there’s also — which I think we’ve seen a few times during the season — there’s the emotional thing that gets to him. I continue to remind ourselves, the writers, that he’s human, he can die and he can get hurt.”
He continued: “Justin is always pitching that we see an episode where Colter is almost dead in the middle of the show and we go back. He’s got all kinds of crazy ideas, but I think that’s what makes the show fun. The minute he becomes like Superman, he is out. That’s not what Justin wants to play — and I don’t think that that’s what the character is.”
Teddi Bruin
Weigert exited Tracker ahead of season 2 with her character being written off in the premiere. At the time, Teddi’s wife mentioned that they needed some distance from each other, and Velma has since been working with Reenie.
“[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 in February. “So I came back. Don’t you worry, because I am keeping busy.”
Velma Bruin
While Colter’s team will return, it remains unclear what the new normal will look like in season 3.
“I don’t want the show to be ‘phone a friend’ every week,” Reid told Us. “I think that gets old, and Justin is always challenging me on that. He’s like, ‘Do we need to do this? Do I need to call Bobby all the time? Can I do this?’ … You don’t [always] see Reenie. He talks to Velma for two seconds. He may talk to Bobby for one phone call. The show works because you are over Justin’s shoulder.”
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Bobby Exley
Graise was noticeably absent from six episodes during season 2, which is why his cousin Randy (Chris Lee) was brought in to help Colter. The decision caused backlash from viewers who grew used to seeing Graise on their screen.
“It’s one of those things where actor availability is always an issue. There have been shows where people don’t even notice [if a character is missing],” Reid teased to Us. “One of the challenges in season 3 is going to be reconfiguring the team and figuring out what that team looks like.”
Reenie Greene
According to Reid, season 3 will keep following Reenie’s professional issues after branching out on her own. Rene also spoke to Us in November 2024 about what she would like to see for Reenie going forward.
“Obviously we’re building on Colter’s relationships and what he’s able to do. We are getting to see more of him. But then for Reenie, we’re seeing her identity without Colter,” she teased to Us. “Before it was like, ‘Who is she? What was her relationship to him? Who was she alongside him? How could she help him?’ And even though all those things are still true, now we’re seeing Reenie. Who is she and what’s her life and what’s she interested in and where is she in her life?”
Randy
“Randy came in and also gave something to the show that was different. There was a real warmth and fun when he came in. It was something that I think we were missing a little bit too in some episodes. He just was immediately fun when he came in,” Reid told Us in May. “With those dynamics — and in playing with this team dynamics — that’s all stuff we’re going to continue to play with in season 3 as the show evolves.”
Reid continued: “We’re going to bring back some characters from seasons 1 and 2 — we’re going to see them more and more. There’s been some fun characters that I think are fun to see in Colter’s world [season to season].”
Billie Matalon
If Hartley has his way — and he will as an executive producer on Tracker — his wife, Sofia Pernas, will reprise her role as Billie. The fictional character has made numerous appearances in the first two scenes as Colter and Billie grow closer.
“She’s wonderful. I mean, if I had my choice, I’d spend every minute with her,” Hartley gushed to Us in July 2024. “What’s really cool is when you meet someone that means so much to you, that you’re so proud to be with and so proud of, and just such a fan of, and to get to see her work, because she’s such a talented actor. She elevates scenes, and so it makes my job easier, actually. But yeah, it’s just wonderful to work with her.”
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Dory Shaw
During an exclusive interview with Us, Melissa Roxburgh revealed whether she would return to CBS in a guest capacity despite starring in NBC’s The Hunting Party.
“I mean, I hope so. I had so much fun on that show,” Roxburgh, who plays Harley’s onscreen sister, shared in February before praising her scene partner for creating such a fun set. “Justin is great. It’s such a lovely and warm set [because] Justin does such a good job of making it that way.”
She continued. “So I’d love to go back. Justin is a friend, and it’s nice to play with your friends and I love the show, so we’ll see.”
Russell Shaw
The goal isn’t just to bring Jensen Ackles back on Tracker. During an interview with Us, Reid didn’t rule out expanding the universe with a spinoff.
“I’m going to try to steal Jensen,” he quipped to Us. “We worked on another show of mine before, so I’m going to try to kidnap him back from The Boys [and Countdown].”
Lizzy Hawking
Despite Colter finding out that his mother was involved in his dad’s death, the mystery is just getting started.
“That story will be far more complicated than you’re led to believe at the end of the season,” Reid shared with Us in May. “His brother Russell has some of the answers to that question. His sister Dory might have some pieces of that. His childhood friend Lizzy [Jennifer Morrison] might have some pieces of that too.”
