Justin Hartley‘s Tracker has lost multiple cast members — but could they come back in season 3?
Showrunner Elwood Reid addressed the chances of Abby McEnany and Eric Graise returning in the future, telling TV Insider on Friday, September 26, “There’s a possibility [they could return], but right now, in this first block, no.”
Since Tracker premiered in February 2024, viewers have tuned in week after week to see Colter travel the country to help solve various missing persons cases. As Colter has gotten help, the ensemble cast has grown with characters such as handlers Teddi (Robin Weigert) and Velma (McEnany), hacker Bobby (Graise) and attorney Reenie (Fiona Rene).
The procedural’s case of the weak format means the show is always introducing new faces. Fans were surprised when Reid hinted at an onscreen reconfiguration before season 3.
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“I don’t want the show to be phone-a-friend every week. 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?’” Reid exclusively told Us Weekly in May. “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.”
Season 3, which returns October 19, will pick up after Colter’s (Hartley) handler Velma (McEnany) and hacker Bobby (Graise) exited the series. Overall, Weigert, McEnany and Graise have all left Tracker in the first two seasons.
“Right now, Velma is going off to be with Teddi [Robin Weigert, who exited after season 1], who we’ve set up that there were some problems. That’s set up in the first episode,” Reid teased to TVLine. “And Bobby has taken an interesting job offer, which we’ll hear about in the first episode.”
Reid explained that one of the goals is “trying to build out the world of Reenie’s [Fiona Rene] office a little bit better.” He also confirmed their plan of “bringing Randy [Chris Lee], who was a really strong character from last year, bringing him to Denver to help out.”
The events from season 2 will continue to drive Reenie’s story.
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“[She is] in a pretty dark place — her boyfriend had been shot, her company had been kind of f***ed over, she’d had this breach of security,” he added. “[Randy is coming in to give her] a digital health check detox. That blooms into a deeper relationship where he may be working out of her office a little bit helping.”
Season 3 is set to explore the remaining members of Colter’s team more, with Reid adding, “That’s going to become a story line. Because I have these amazing actors, I think the show loses if they’re just all about the case. You want to follow them home a little bit. I know we have Reenie as this sort of boss lawyer all the time, but I don’t know if she’s always that.”
He continued: “I think there’s this other side to her, and I particularly think that given with what happened to her last year, it’s only realistic that that would have some lasting effects on her. So you’ll start to see us trying to build out her character a little bit more as not just someone who waits by the phone for Colter to call, because that’s not what these people are doing.”
Hartley has also struck gold with a wide variety of guest stars who keep returning including Jensen Ackles, Hartley’s wife, Sofia Pernas, Melissa Roxburgh and Jennifer Morrison.
Tracker returns to CBS on Sunday, October 19, at 8 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Paramount+.
