Tracker Season 3 Makes Franchise History With Its Highest-Stakes Cliffhanger Yet

Tracker has made franchise history with its highest-stakes cliffhanger and episode yet, and the story in Season 3, Episode 9, repeats a winning trend for the series. In “Good Trouble,” Colter Shaw’s (Justin Hartley) friend, John Keaton (Brenton Sexton), is back, and the retired detective seeks the rewardist’s help in finding his former partner, who’s missing, Nat Dobbs (Dean McKenzie).

The series has had an epic run, with Tracker Season 3 quickly becoming the most-watched entertainment series of the new broadcast season. Tracker Season 3’s premiere garnered 12.97 million views in its first week, maintaining its status as the most popular series on television (per Variety). The fall finale of Tracker raises the stakes and rises to the moment.

Colter & Keaton’s Case and the Shocking Tracker Season 3 Cliffhanger

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Colter and Keaton investigate Dobbs’ house, where Colter finds a clue in the trash that leads them to a dairy farm owned by Clive Sherman (Jaren Moore), where they discover a body-dumping ground. When they call the authorities, investigators find that Clive was receiving large payments from the company of Armenian crime boss Zhan Menassian (Arnab Biswas).

The revelation links Colter and Keaton’s case to an organized crime conspiracy. Randy (Chris Lee) accesses the security footage to see who killed Menassian, and Shaw discovers that Dobbs shot Menassian, but also puts contract killer Emile Lang (Mark Engelhardt) at the scene. When Colter and Keaton face off with Lang, “Good Trouble” becomes Tracker’s highest-stakes episode.

Shaw and Keaton find a dying Dobbs, who reveals that Lang murdered Clive. Lang, also at the scene, then shoots at Keaton when he approaches. As Colter rushes Keaton to the hospital, someone shoots at Colter, causing Shaw and his friend to crash over the side of the embankment. Then, the gripping episode ends with a “To be Continued” message.

The moment marks arguably the most compelling scene in Tracker’s history. Colter has done well at keeping himself and others out of harm while working on dangerous missing-person cases. However, Colter and Keaton’s car crash in Tracker Season 3 could be the first time that Colter loses someone close to him while working a case, with Keaton’s fate left ambiguous.

Tracker Season 3’s Midseason Cliffhanger Established a Trend

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Tracker’s fall finale utilizes a setup that was successful once before, starting a trend. Keaton’s appearance in Tracker Season 3, Episode 9, is the second time that the character has appeared in a midseason closer. In Tracker Season 2, Keaton returns to close out the first half of the season, and the episode also ends with an intense cliffhanger.

Keaton features in Tracker Season 2, Episode 8, “The Night Movers,” with new information about Colter’s cold case. Shaw asked Keaton to look into Gina Picket’s death, and John checks in with new details in the fall finale, revealing he’s captured a man named Alex Silva (Johnny Rey Diaz) who has news about Gina’s disappearance that breaks the case open.

Like Season 3, Keaton’s return sets up an exciting second half of Tracker Season 2. The series cuts to the “To Be Continued” card after Silva tells John and Colter that Gina could have gone somewhere called the Farm, giving in to Keaton’s brutal interrogation. It set up Keaton to return when the series came back, ending without a resolution.

Keaton’s Return in Tracker Season 3 Is Even Better Than Before

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However, Keaton’s return in Tracker Season 3 is far more impactful than his return in Season 2. In “Good Trouble,” Keaton’s life hangs in the balance after making a rash decision to confront Lang at the scene. Colter was already having trouble keeping John awake, and now he has to contend with his own injuries after going off the road.

Keaton will also have new injuries after the crash, making Tracker Season 3’s fall finale its most gripping cliffhanger yet. The second half of Tracker Season 3 will undoubtedly explore whether Keaton will survive his injuries and what will happen to Emile Lang. Colter will survive to see the rest of Season 3, but Keaton’s fate is less predictable.

While Tracker Season 2’s cliffhanger left audiences wondering whether Gina was alive and what would happen, Season 3 took its cliffhanger to the next level. Audiences will likely be far more anxious to know what will happen to Colter and Keaton when Tracker Season 3 returns on March 1, 2026, as the plot twist involves characters central to the series.

Tracker audiences have to wait two months for a resolution to Season 3’s gripping cliffhanger. Still, those who tune in will likely be rewarded by seeing some of Colter’s grittiest survival skills as he attempts to save his most trusted ally. Reenie (Fiona Rene) jumps into action when she begins to worry about Shaw and may save lives by intervening.