Tracker Season 3 Will Explore Colter Shaw’s Inner World
As Tracker prepares to begin filming its highly anticipated third season, Justin Hartley is giving fans a taste of what’s to come—and it sounds like this season will mark a major turning point in the show’s evolution. Speaking at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Television Festival, Hartley shared new insights about where the CBS hit series is headed, promising a season that delves more deeply into Colter Shaw’s inner life, traumas, and moral compass than ever before.
“We’ve solved a lot of external cases in the first two seasons. Now, it’s time to turn the lens inward,” Hartley said. “Colter has been running for years—from danger, from grief, from the past. Season 3 will confront what happens when you stop running.”
Filming is set to begin in July 2025, with CBS planning a mid-season 2026 premiere. Fans of the series are already speculating about how this new direction will unfold, especially with so many unresolved personal threads from Colter’s past still lingering.
A Deeper Look Into Family and Trauma
Season 3 will reportedly focus heavily on Colter’s fractured family, specifically his relationship with his estranged brother Russell. Though Russell has appeared only briefly in the show so far, his influence looms large over Colter’s choices and emotional struggles. Showrunner Elwood Reid confirmed that Russell will have a significant role in Season 3 and that the sibling dynamic will be “more confrontational and revealing than anything we’ve seen yet.”
As viewers know, the Shaw family was shattered by the death of Colter’s father and the paranoia that surrounded his final years. Season 3 will explore the fallout from that trauma, potentially through flashbacks and emotionally raw present-day encounters.
Reid explained: “Colter has spent years helping other people find closure, but he hasn’t found it for himself. This season is about asking whether that kind of healing is even possible for someone like him.”
Emotional Stakes Rise Alongside New Cases
While Tracker has made its name on high-octane, reward-based cases that span the country, Season 3 will reportedly balance external investigations with personal growth. Hartley revealed that the cases Colter takes on in the new season will reflect his internal struggles, offering parallels and emotional resonance in ways that haven’t been seen before.
One episode, according to Reid, will follow Colter as he searches for a missing war veteran suffering from PTSD, forcing him to confront his own form of survivor’s guilt. Another rumored storyline will involve a young runaway with a background eerily similar to Colter’s, challenging him to make difficult moral decisions.
“We still have the adrenaline and the mystery,” Hartley assured, “but now every case will have an emotional mirror. Colter won’t just be tracking people; he’ll be tracking his own ghosts.”
A More Serialized Structure?
Season 3 may also mark a stylistic shift in the show’s structure. While the first two seasons primarily followed a case-of-the-week format, Reid hinted at a more serialized narrative arc for Season 3. Longtime viewers have been asking for deeper story continuity and expanded character arcs, and CBS appears ready to deliver.
Reid noted that a major antagonist will span multiple episodes—a character who challenges Colter intellectually and morally rather than physically. This adversary will force Colter to question his principles, his methods, and ultimately, his identity.
With character development moving to the forefront, fans can expect a more emotionally immersive viewing experience, blending Tracker’s procedural strengths with serialized depth.
Fan Reception and Anticipation
Online discussion forums and fan communities have already lit up with excitement following Hartley’s comments. Many praised the show’s decision to evolve beyond its initial formula and invest in emotional storytelling and character psychology. Others expressed hope that the season would also explore Colter’s romantic prospects or reconnect with past allies in deeper ways.
While some fans are cautious about potential tonal changes, most agree that Colter Shaw is a complex enough character to carry a more introspective season. Hartley’s performance has consistently received praise for balancing grit with vulnerability, making him an ideal figure through which to explore darker, more personal themes.
Conclusion: A Season of Reckoning for Colter Shaw
With Tracker Season 3 on the horizon, CBS is clearly committed to deepening the show’s narrative complexity. Justin Hartley’s comments offer a glimpse into a season that won’t just solve mysteries, but also wrestle with the emotional costs of living on the edge. From family drama to existential questions, Season 3 promises to take Colter Shaw—and viewers—on a powerful emotional journey.
Production starts in just a few weeks, and anticipation is building. One thing is certain: in Season 3, the hunt gets personal.
