I’m Disappointed About Tracker’s Major Season 3 Casting Shakeup, But It’s Not as Bad as Fans Think

CBS’s number one show, Tracker, returns this October, but it has lost two main characters as filming began this month. The hit crime drama follows Colter Shaw, a lone wolf survivalist criss-crossing the country in his airstream and using his specific skill set to find missing people. Colter works with a small team on his cases, but his trusted allies have been dwindling since season one.

TV Line broke the news that Abby McEnany and Eric Graise will not be back for season three of Tracker. McEnany played Velma Bruin, Colter’s handler. Graise played Bobby Exely, Colter’s go-to tech guy. Both characters played an integral role in the series, but their exits won’t be as detrimental as fans think.

Tracker Lost 2 Major Characters Ahead of Season 3

Bobby and Velma Will Not Be Back for Season

Velma Bruin worked with Colter, finding new cases and helping provide background information on them. In season one, she worked out of her home alongside her spouse, Teddi, who left the show after season one. In season two, Velma began working out of Reenie’s new law firm. Velma has a big heart and loves animals. After Reenie was abducted and almost killed in season two’s “Rules of the Game,” Velma looked after Reenie, taking care of her. While viewers didn’t learn much about Velma as her role was largely utilitarian, there were little nuggets of information revealed throughout the first two seasons that left audiences wanting more.

Following the shocking season two finale, showrunner Elwood Reid sat down with Screen Rant to discuss what’s next for Colter Shaw. When they asked about expanding the character of Velma, Reid said, “A little bit.” Reid placed a focus on building out Reenie’s world and dealing with the Shaw family secret and how that would affect them, but added, “Then we’ll go into all those other storylines and try to figure out how those fit into the season.” While it seems as though Velma was a lower priority, it sounded like she was originally coming back for season three.

Bobby Exely served as Colter’s tech support. Bobby would hack into cellphones and websites to help Colter track down the missing people. Whether it was providing GPS maps or relevant text messages, Bobby played an important part in Colter’s team. Eric Graise’s exit is less of a surprise than Abby McEnany’s departure. Following the mid-season premiere “Nightingale,” Bobby was notably absent for a chunk of episodes. Reid had implied scheduling conflicts as the reason for Graise’s absence, but fans saw the writing on the wall when Chris Lee joined the team as Randy, Bobby’s tech-savvy cousin.

When Reid spoke with TV Line back in May, he was asked if both Graise and Lee would be back for season three. “I don’t know the complete plan, but the answer is that Chris will be back,” Reid answered. While he spoke about Bobby and Velma as though they would be returning, he had no hard plans for storylines centering on them. Reid’s initial plans focused on further exploring the characters of Reenie and Randy as well as dealing with the fallout from the reveal that Mary was somehow involved in her husband’s death.

What Velma and Bobby’s Exits Mean for Tracker Season 3

Randy Will Likely Fill Bobby’s Role and Maybe Velma’s Too

Chris Lee is confirmed to return as the charismatic hacker, and he will likely fulfill Bobby’s role as Colter’s tech support. While Bobby will definitely be missed, Randy was a fun addition and brought a different energy, to which viewers responded positively. With Elwood Reid’s comments about his plans for season three, it’s possible Randy could also step into Velma’s shoes. “I think the main character we want to build out is Reenie,” Reid said. “What does her world look like, and how do we build out that world a little bit more and include Randy or whoever else in that world?” It appears Reid’s plans for Reenie will include Randy. Randy may be working out of Reenie’s offices in season three.

When Fiona Rene spoke with TV Insider, she said, “I love Chris Lee with everything in my body.” Up to this point, the two haven’t shared much screen time, but Rene speaks very highly of Lee, so audiences may get to see that off-screen chemistry make its way into the series. If Randy becomes a bigger part of Reenie’s world, he may also provide emotional support for Reenie and give her someone to play off of now that Velma is gone. The show will need a new emotional center, whether it’s Randy, Reenie, or someone new—this is where the loss of Velma will be most keenly felt.

As for finding jobs, there are already plenty of examples of Colter catching a case from different sources. He’s gotten them from his friends, Russell, Reenie, law enforcement, or just passing through a town and seeing a woman with missing flyers, looking for her sister. With Velma and Teddi gone, Reenie or Randy may serve as the main source for sending reward information Colter’s way. Colter could also do some research himself to discover new opportunities and people to help. Where Colter gets the cases won’t be a difficult problem to solve, so Velma’s absence won’t be felt as much in this regard.

While the reasons for Graise and McEnany’s exits haven’t been given, it’s possible the writers always planned to scale back how often Colter leans on his team. When Reid spoke with Us Weekly, he said, “One of the challenges in season 3 is going to be reconfiguring the team and figuring out what that team looks like.” Reid stressed he doesn’t want Tracker to become complacent, but to keep things fresh. “I don’t want the show to be ‘phone a friend’ every week,” Reid added. “I think that gets old, and Justin [Hartley] is always challenging me on that. He’s like, ‘Do we need to do this? Do I need to call Bobby all the time? Can I do this?'”

It’s hard to know if the cast shakeup was because of how the story is evolving, the actors’ availability, or money. Regardless, there is one thing Elwood Reid guarantees: “The only rule I really have of the show is each week Colter is going to come to a new place and there’s going to be a new case. How he gets those answers and what he uses on the team, that’s all something that’s up for grabs.”

Season 3 Will Focus on the Aftermath of the Shocking Family Secret Revealed in “Echo Ridge”

Reenie Will Have More to Do in Season 3

Justin Hartley and Fiona Rene are now the only two series regulars on Tracker. Despite Colter’s shrinking team, Elwood Reid is excited to bring back some familiar faces. “We’re going to bring back some characters from Seasons 1 and 2 — we’re going to see them more and more. There’s been some fun characters that I think are fun to see in Colter’s world [season to season].” Two of the fan-favorite characters Reid has been open about wanting to bring back are Jensen Ackles and Melissa Roxburgh.

With what Colter learned about his mother, Reid teased that Colter’s going to need to talk to his siblings about Mary’s involvement in their father’s death. “What I do know is that the character of Colter is going to carry that pain around for a little bit longer and carry those questions around, and we’re going to see the other family too, like his brother and his sister, and get to see what they think about what he’s learned.” Both Ackles and Roxburgh are open to returning to Tracker, but how often they appear may be down to their busy schedules.

Ackles told Collider, “We are discussing that as we speak. That is being talked about, so yeah, I would hope so. Justin [Hartley] is a dear friend of mine and getting to play with him is always a fun thing. So, yeah, there are talks of bringing me back. To what capacity, I’m not sure yet.” Back in May, Ackles appeared at the touring Supernatural Convention, The Road So Far, headed to Austin, Texas next month. Ackles was asked about Russell Shaw’s return to Tracker: “I would say the odds are good. I was–there was an attempt to get me back towards the end of the second season… And we just couldn’t work it out schedule-wise.” He added, “I don’t think you’ve seen the last of Russell Shaw.”

Ackles has been busy filming Countdown, The Boys, and will start filming Vought Rising next month. With Tracker going into production this month, Ackles expressed optimism about appearing in an early season three episode, like he did with season two’s “Ontological Shock.” Finding time in Roxburgh’s schedule could also prove challenging, as her show, The Hunting Party, has been picked up for a full season and will likely begin filming soon, if it hasn’t already. Having Ackles and Roxburgh only available early in production could mean all three Shaw siblings in the same episode, which would certainly be a treat for audiences.