‘Reacher’ Should Cross Over With This Fan-Favorite Action Series in Season 3

Television crossovers have been a long-held tradition. From Murder, She Wrote and Magnum P.I. to Sleepy Hollow and Bones, and more recently Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, crossovers have delivered some of television’s most exciting nights. There are plenty of potential television crossovers, but one that immediately comes to mind for us is the potential of a crossover between Reacher and Tracker.

Reacher and Tracker are what the internet likes to call “dad shows” — action procedurals that follow a lead character with a certain set of skills traveling across the country, getting into adventures. Both Reacher and Tracker are based on books, with Reacher based on the series by Lee Child and Tracker based on Jefferey Deaver’s The Never Game. Reacher is a streaming series that typically runs eight-episode seasons with a single, long arc for the season, whereas Tracker is a network series that runs up to 22 episodes per season with largely self-contained stories and a larger plot unfolding in the background of each episode. Both series seem tailor-made for a crossover, and here is how they could, the mini-reunion it would make, and what is holding these two series back from interacting.

Similar Heroes, Different Motivations in ‘Tracker’ and ‘Reacher’

CBS

The primary reason for the crossover between Reacher and Tracker is the dynamic interplay between characters. Both Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) and Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) are men who go from town to town getting into adventures. Whereas Reacher has military training and seems to do good work out of the sense of moral duty, Colter Shaw is motivated by cash and uses his ability to track down suspects or missing persons in exchange for reward money. These are two characters with different moral operating principles, which would make for an interesting clash.

The best setup for a crossover would be for Jack Reacher to appear in a single episode of Tracker in Season 3. Given that each episode of Tracker can be enjoyed on its own, it allows Jack Reacher to show up for one appearance without breaking up the main flow of the series. It would be harder for Colter Shaw to be introduced in one episode of Reacher‘s more streamlined season run and then disappear after just one episode, never to be referenced or seen again. This avoids altering a Jack Reacher book to fit Colter Shaw in, while allowing the Tracker writers to craft an original story with Jack Reacher.

The obvious setup is for Jack Reacher and Colter Shaw to cross paths while working the same case. It seems feasible since both men are known to travel the country, so it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to meet. An interesting dynamic would be if Colter Shaw is sent to track down Jack Reacher, only for the two men to put aside their differences and team up against a larger foe, possibly one who has been manipulating them.

A ‘Smallville’ Reunion

The CW

Doing a Reacher and Tracker crossover not only puts two of the biggest television shows on the air together, but also opens the door for a Smallville reunion. Reacher star Alan Ritchson previously played Arthur Curry/Aquaman on Smallville, while Tracker‘s Justin Hartley played Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. The two even appeared together on-screen in multiple episodes, most notably in the Season 6 episode “Justice,” where they were part of the series’ version of the Justice League.

In another twist, Hartley was cast as Arthur Curry in a failed Aquaman pilot for The CW, greenlit after the massive ratings success of the Aquaman episode in Smallville. However, Ritchson was not considered for the role of Aquaman since the series wasn’t considered a Smallville spin-off. Although Aquaman was not picked up, Hartley was cast as Green Arrow for Smallville Season 6, joining the Aquaman actor he was originally hired to replace.

Given the Smallville connection, Reacher should bring back another actor who appeared in both series: Serinda Swan. Swan appeared in Season 2 of Reacher as Karla Dixon, a forensic accountant who worked alongside Jack Reacher. Swan also played Zatanna in multiple episodes of Smallville. Though she did not share any scenes with Ritchson, she had a few episodes alongside Hartley’s Green Arrow, making her appearance on Tracker a more meaningful reunion.

This also means the crossover episode between Reacher and Tracker has the potential for a major bit of stunt casting in terms of the episode’s villain. A potential direction could be Superman himself, Tom Welling. The other would be Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor on Smallville and, on the series, had come into conflict with both Ritchson’s Aquaman and Hartley’s Green Arrow. Rosenbaum also appears to have a good working relationship with the Reacher and Tracker star, as both have appeared on his podcast, Inside of You. A Reacher and Tracker crossover could be so much more than just a crossover, but a stealth reunion for the series that redefined Superman for the 21st century.

The Biggest Obstacle Ahead of a ‘Reacher’ and ‘Tracker’ Crossover

Prime Video

While the idea of a Reacher and Tracker crossover seems obvious, the most significant factor working against the two is the fact that they are on competing networks and produced by different companies. Reacher is a Prime Video series, while Tracker airs on CBS. Now CBS is a division of Paramount Skydance Corporation, the same studio that produces Reacher, but Paramount doesn’t actually produce Tracker; instead, it is produced by 20th Century Television.

Many of the other wild crossovers tend to share similar parent companies. For as out there as the Bones/Sleepy Hollow crossover sounded, both series aired on Fox, so it was easy to make it happen. Although Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia air on different networks — ABC and FX, respectively — both series are produced by 20th Century Television and owned by The Walt Disney Company. The CBS broadcast of Tracker and Paramount Skydance’s production credit for Reacher are the biggest factors that could work in favor of the series crossing over. Still, they also require negotiations between Prime Video and 20th Century Television.

This bit of corporate ownership might be what keeps Tracker and Reacher from crossing over. Tracker could theoretically cross over with other CBS series like Elsbeth, Watson, or even Ghosts. Meanwhile, Reacher could bring back John Krasinski as Jack Ryan and serve as a crossover with the concluded Prime Video series. Though neither one sounds as exciting as a crossover between Tracker and Reacher, with the two similarly skilled but very different heroes, Colter Shaw and Jack Reacher, finally coming face to face. We can still always hope that someday, it might happen.