CBS Officially Ends an Era for Tracker — What It Means for Justin Hartley’s Hit Series

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Tracker season 3, episode 3, “First Fire”.Tracker season 3, episode 3, “First Fire”, marks the end of an era for Justin Hartley’s hit show. Leading CBS’ 2025-2026 programming, the procedural based on “The Never Game” novel has been a massive success ever since it debuted in February 2024. Impressively, it has been able to maintain its spot as TV’s number 1 show despite strong competition from established series and newer shows.

Opening Tracker season 3 with a two-episode special, Hartley’s series immediately made it clear that it has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. After not returning for another appearance in season 2, Jensen Ackles got an expanded role, appearing in this year’s first two episodes. As things start to settle down in “First Fire”, however, the changes in Tracker become more evident, resulting in a definitive end to its original run.

Tracker Season 3, Episode 3 Completes Colter Shaw’s Team Revamp

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Ahead of its return on primetime, it was announced that Abby McEnany and Eric Graise weren’t coming back as Velma and Bobby in Tracker season 3. Frankly, it’s still unclear why exactly they were written out of the show, especially since they have both been a part of Colter’s team from the get-go as his handler and tech/information support. Previously, Tracker already lost Robin Weigert as Teddi.

Randy has effectively taken over Bobby’s role in Tracker. In fact, he even established a connection with Reenie by moving into her firm office. There hasn’t been any hint that the show is looking to also replace Velma; the show didn’t bring someone to fill the vacancy that Teddi left. That changes, however, in Tracker season 3, episode 3 with the hiring of Mel. She will essentially do the work that Velma used to handle for both Reenie and Colter. Whether she will last on the job, however, is an entirely different conversation.

It’s worth noting that while Reenie is still in Tracker, she wasn’t really a part of Colter’s team from the get-go. Originally, she only appeared when there was a legal snafu in the mission. Since then, however, her role has expanded. But in terms of Colter’s true support system, all members of it have already been replaced, hence the end of an era for Tracker.

Will Velma, Teddi & Bobby Ever Return To Tracker?

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None of Tracker‘s departing characters had a proper send-off. Instead, their exits went down off-screen, with their whereabouts subsequently explained through expository scenes. Apparently, Bobby took on a lucrative tech start-up job while Velma reunited with Teddi. Pragmatically, all characters got happy exits, and since none of them have died, they can easily be reincorporated back into the show.

Their comebacks are now all dependent on the writers of Tracker — whether they think there’s a solid story reason for their re-appearance. Of course, it also depends on whether the actors are available to reprise their roles, but there has to be a narrative justification for their re-emergence. It would be disrespectful to bring them back to Tracker for a forced cameo.