Tracker’s New Velma Replacement Could Be a Big Mistake for Justin Hartley’s Hit Show

While he mainly investigates independently or liaises with law enforcement, Colter has a small team to support his operation. In Tracker Season 1, Colter’s team included tech specialist Bobby Exley (Eric Graise) and Shaw’s handlers, Velma (Abby McEnany) and Teddi Bruin (Robin Weigert). However, Colter’s team is unrecognizable at the start of Season 3, with Graise, McEnany, and Weigert all having exited the series. Tracker is quick to replace them with more helpers, though the overall changes detract from the show’s best qualities.

Who Is Mel in Tracker Season 3, Explained

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In Tracker Season 3, Colter’s team still includes Reenie Green (Fiona Rene), an original Tracker cast member, and Randy (Chris Lee), who was introduced as Bobby’s cousin in Season 2, taking over for Exley during his hiatus from the office. It now includes a third member as Tracker Season 3 officially replaces a fan-favorite character, with Reenie hiring a new employee for her law firm. In episode 3, Reenie employs Melanie, or “Mel,” (Cassady McClincy Zhang), to help her manage the office, taking over Velma’s position.

Reenie hinted that she was looking for help when Tracker explained Velma and Bobby’s character exits in the premiere, telling Randy, overwhelmed with all the office work, that she had resumes to review. Randy said he would screen applicants, and in Episode 3, he mentions that he thought Green would gel with Mel, a Gen Z character who displays a passion for Reenie’s work. While Mel is more involved in Reenie’s legal work than Colter’s operation, her mother’s murder case is probably something the series will explore.

When Reenie officially hires Mel in Tracker Season 3, Episode 3, Colter’s new team takes form, and viewers get a preview of what that will look like. Though Mel wasn’t hired for Colter’s rewardist work, Reenie and Randy read her in on their case almost immediately, and, gauging how excited Mel is about it all, it’s probably only a matter of time before she’s working the cases alongside his other teammates. Mel could bring something unique to the team, a skillset or other quirk that would provide something new in the upcoming Tracker episodes.

Tracker Replaced Velma and Teddi Bruin From Tracker Seasons 1 & 2

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While all the fresh Tracker characters bring their own qualities to the show, in general, Randy will take over Bobby’s role as Colter’s tech specialist and intel guy, and Mel will take Velma’s place as Reenie’s right hand at her law office. That said, Mel won’t replace Velma’s role. Instead, it appears that Reenie will now be Colter’s handler, the one who finds his cases. Still, Mel replaces the presence of two of Colter’s former teammates, Velma and Teddi. They were Colter’s original handlers, starting with the series in Tracker Season 1.

Teddi and Velma were based on characters from Deaver’s book series, Teddy and Velma, a couple who found reward cases for Colter and looked after his home while he traveled in a Winnebago. While Tracker upgraded Colter to an Airstream trailer, and he had no home base to speak of, other than his childhood home and Reenie’s law office, Season 1 maintained the couple’s roles. Drawing on the source material, Colter, Velma, and Teddi’s humble setup gave Tracker a unique premise, setting it apart from even the most iconic procedural dramas.

All that said, Velma and Teddi’s time together on the TV show was short-lived, since Weigert exited the series after the first season of Tracker. When the show returned, Velma explained to Reenie that Teddi was helping her mom and that they had separated because she was getting in the way, causing conflicts for them. After McEnany also exited the series before Tracker Season 2, Reenie explained to Randy that she went to fix her marriage with Teddi, repairing the relationship but officially breaking up Colter’s original team.

Velma’s Tracker Replacement Trades Off Some of the Show’s Charm

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Unfortunately, due to the unique qualities that the couple brought to the series, Velma’s replacement on Tracker compromises some of the charm she and her wife offered. Mel seems great, but she doesn’t have the same age diversity as Velma and Teddi, and she doesn’t bring the same individuality to the series that the couple did while working out of their home in Northern Florida. Velma and Teddi memorably lived with a pack of lovable pets and bickered with Colter over video calls while living their life, sometimes drinking wine or making dinner.

Moreover, Teddi and Velma knew Colter better than anyone. They were like parents to him, providing the guidance he lacked from Mary Dove (Wendy Crewson) and Ashton (Lee Tergesen) due to their family conflicts. The Bruins also weren’t as awestruck by Colter’s work as everyone else around him, adding a necessary balance to the show that humanized Hartley’s heroic character. The original Tracker characters helped the series stand out, and it resembles a more traditional procedural without them, with Reenie, Randy, and Mel working together out of Green’s Denver office.