Tracker’s Bold Season 3 Shake-Up Proves Justin Hartley’s CBS Hit Isn’t Slowing Down Anytime Soon

The numbers are in, and Justin Hartley’s Tracker has proved yet again that it’s the best show on air despite major shake-ups to its cast ahead of Season 3. Now on its third run on CBS, Tracker is based on the Colter Shaw book series by Jeffery Deaver. The popular television program follows the same character, with the show swapping Colter’s Winnebago for a stylish Airstream trailer. Still, in Tracker Season 1, vital elements of the book remained, such as Colter’s two handlers who managed Shaw’s finances and helped him find cases.

Hartley has proven to be a compelling lead as Colter, whose brother, Russell Shaw, occasionally joins him in his endeavors, with Jensen Ackles making a guest appearance. Following a procedural formula with an overarching story, Tracker has all the right pieces of a compelling show. That said, some of its core parts have come to pass, with the series making significant changes to its cast ahead of its third run. There’s a divisive debate among audiences about what those changes mean for the series, yet the debate doesn’t affect Tracker’s command of the TV schedule.

Colter Shaw’s Team Is Almost Unrecognizable In Tracker Season 3 Episode 4

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In Tracker Season 3, Episode 4, “No Man’s Land,” Colter Shaw’s team is unrecognizable. After the second season of Tracker, two cast members who had been with the show since its first season, Abby McEnany and Eric Graise, exited the series. McEnany and Graise played Velma Bruin and Bobby Exley, two original members of Colter’s team. Velma was one of two handlers, along with Teddi Bruin (Robin Weigert), and Bobby had been Colter’s tech specialist, his go-to connection for obtaining cell phone records, security footage, and whatever else he needed.

Partway through Tracker Season 2, the series introduced Bobby’s cousin, Randy (Chris Lee), who temporarily took over for his kin when Exley went on a multi-episode hiatus. Although Bobby returned, Randy has now completely replaced him. Randy’s introduction in Season 2 helped ease the transition, proving he was as quick and helpful as his cousin as he stepped in to do Exley’s work. Therefore, Colter has established trust with Randy, who now works in Reenie Green’s (Fiona Rene) Denver office rather than out of the back of a repair store in Chicago, as Bobby did.

Velma’s exit from the series was less prompted. In Tracker Season 3, Episode 1, Reenie explains to Randy that Velma went to be with Teddi, prioritizing their marriage. Weigert, who played Teddi Bruin, left after the first season of Tracker. Velma explained her exit in Season 2, stating that they were experiencing marital issues and were taking some space. The separation freed up Velma to work alongside Reenie at her new criminal law firm. Although it was different, key aspects of the original team remained, with Reenie handling legal work and Velma continuing to scout cases.

Now that the Bruins are both off the team, and Reenie’s legal business is taking off, Colter’s operation looks and functions differently. Not only does Colter’s team have two new members, with Reenie hiring Mel in Tracker Season 3, Episode 3, but also, the way they work is unrecognizable. Rather than Velma finding cases for Shaw, Randy seeks them out with an algorithm. Not to mention, Reenie, Randy, and Mel are operating out of Green’s law firm, giving the series a more traditional procedural feel, with all Colter’s operatives working out of the same office rather than dialing in remotely.

Tracker Is Still The Most-Watched Scripted Network Series

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Despite significant changes to the basis of Colter’s missing person operation, the program remains at the top of the charts. According to a report from Variety, Tracker’s Season 3 return on October 19 garnered nearly 13 million viewers. That’s up 17 percent from its Season 2 return a year ago, according to CBS. It was one of four CBS series to make the top five non-sports series for the start of the 2025-2026 broadcast season, with shows like Matlock, 60 Minutes, and Boston Blue trailing. The numbers continue an impressive trend for the series, demonstrating its ability to maintain popularity.

Notably, Tracker was also the most-watched show of the 2024-2025 network schedule, averaging 11 million viewers per week, according to TV Line. The numbers for Season 2 were slightly higher than those for Season 1, but even during its freshman run, Tracker placed at the top. Tracker was the most popular non-sports series of 2023-2024, dethroning NCIS as the most popular CBS show, according to Variety. Now that it has won CBS’s premiere week, the series has proved that it will remain television’s most popular, despite casting changes leaving Colter’s team in unfamiliar territory.

How Tracker Season 3 Will Compare To Previous Seasons

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Perhaps the most striking difference about Tracker Season 3 is that Colter’s entire team will be working out of Reenie’s law office. That contrasts with how the show began, with Shaw working in the field and orchestrating Bobby, Reenie, Teddi, and Velma from their respective locations. Based on Deaver’s account of the couple who oversaw Colter’s home while he was away, Teddi and Velma lived in Florida, and their everyday lives blended with their work. In contrast, Reenie, Randy, and Mel all come to the office in the morning, as seen in Episode 4, as if clocking into a 9-to-5 job.

With Colter’s team working in a central location, aside from Shaw himself, the series will inherently have a different feel. It’s too soon to tell just what that is, but it already feels like a more traditional crime series. While Reenie hires Mel for legal work, she will doubtlessly become a part of the operation, already curious about it all on her first few days of work. Rather than pop in and out of the field doing Colter’s favors, Reenie is in every installment, as is Randy. Colter sometimes worked with one team member or the other in Tracker Season 1, but now it appears that all members will be on board.

The characters’ ability to interact can build their backstories, correcting Tracker‘s underdeveloped ensemble in Seasons 1 and 2. Still, the series needs to continue to strive for the right balance. It shouldn’t shift too much away from Hartley, while getting roped into Reenie, Randy, and Mel’s stories. Regardless of who his teammates are, Colter operates remotely as a lone wolf, and the conglomeration of his workforce could begin to compromise that tone. Still, the numbers support the fact that Justin Hartley’s survivalist series remains on top, so long as Hartley stays at its center.