There have been a few changes in Tracker Season 2, including one main cast member leaving, the temporary abandonment of the family mystery (for now), and a darker, more violent tone to the cases that Colter Shaw investigates. At its heart, though, Tracker is still about Colter, a skilled survivalist who’s working missing persons cases for reward money with the help of his team back home. His team is just as vital to these cases as Colter, and audiences are missing one particular fan-favorite, who has seemingly disappeared without a trace.
Colter’s team includes Velma Bruin, who sources cases for him, Reenie Greene, his lawyer and friend who helps with legal-related issues, and Bobby Exley, a talented hacker who assists with anything on the technical side. But since Bobby has been MIA for some time, Tracker fans are curious why.
Tracker Gives a Vague Explanation For Bobby’s Absence
Fans Definitely Miss the Lovable Hacker
Bobby has appeared in virtually every episode of Tracker to date, since there’s rarely a case where Colter doesn’t need his help. While Reenie is only called upon from time to time, Colter, played by Justin Hartley in one of his best roles, always needs Bobby to “look into” something. These calls might be to find out where a person’s cell phone last pinged, to see security camera footage, work out someone’s potential identity based on a photo or fake ID, or even whatever he can dig up about connections between two seemingly random people.
However, in Season 2, Episode 10 “Nightingale,” Episode 11 “Shades of Gray,” and Episode 12 “Monster,” Bobby is absent. This isn’t to say Colter doesn’t call upon him: he does. But on the other end of the phone is Bobby’s cousin Randy. The first time Colter calls in Episode 10, Randy is surprised. But Randy advises him that Bobby is “still” dealing with some personal family matters.
Randy assures Colter that he’s more than capable of helping and reminds Colter of another case he assisted “the last time” Bobby had to be away. He also points out that he’s the one who taught Bobby how to jailbreak his first phone. In other words, this is the person who taught Bobby everything he knows, so it’s obvious to Bobby’s fans that Randy is more than just a downgraded sub-in.
Colter seems confident and unworried about Bobby being away and continues with his requests for the case. This happens several more times in subsequent episodes; Every time Colter calls, Randy picks up and alludes to Bobby still being busy. It’s one thing to say that Bobby had to take care of something for a day or two. But this has seemed spanned several weeks. Colter, after all, doesn’t take cases one after another. There’s usually time to unwind and travel across the country between them. Thus, Bobby’s absence for three episodes could equate to upwards of a month of time off. The fact that there are no further details given has fans curious as to what’s truly going on, where Bobby is, and if he’ll ever be returning.
Bobby’s Absence Could Be a Network Business Decision Or a Plot Device
Either Way, Fans Need Answers
The network nor producers have given any indication as to what’s really going on with Bobby’s character. However, keen-eyed viewers may notice that in the midseason trailer for Tracker Season 2, there’s a scene with Bobby that doesn’t match any episodes that have aired already. That leaves fans confident that he will return. But it also raises more questions as to why he’s gone in the first place.
There are two main reasons that Bobby could be missing. The first is the less interesting but most likely one: it could be a strictly business decision, and Tracker might be using a rotating cast. If Tracker is doing the same, it might be a cost-cutting measure to have Graise appear in fewer episodes per season while the actor who portrays Lee fills in as needed for the short segments for which a similar character is needed. Since Bobby is usually only seen for a minute or two each episode, it seems like a logical way to save money.
The second possibility is that Bobby’s absence is a plot device. The only time fans learned anything about Bobby’s personal life was in Season 1, Episode 7, “Chicago,” which is easily one of the best Tracker Season 1 episodes. In “Chicago,” Bobby asks Colter for help finding his missing MMA fighter friend. Bobby doesn’t want to sit back in his office for this one and instead insists he goes into the field. While Colter tries to keep him away by telling him it’s too dangerous, Bobby insists and saves Colter’s life in the process. It’s the only episode where Bobby had far more screen time than usual.
It’s possible that Tracker could build some type of storyline where Bobby ends up in trouble, or someone in his family does, and he needs Colter’s help. It would be an interesting flip of the script if Bobby ended up becoming the missing person that Colter needs to find. As enticing as those ideas sound, however, it’s more than likely that Graise’s temporary absence is nothing more than a business decision. If this is the case, however, not addressing his return after such a long absence would be puzzling for the narrative, especially if the rotating case is something that continues to happen in Tracker Season 3.
There’s Clearer Evidence That Bobby is Coming Back
For fans worried about Bobby, the good news is that it’s almost certain he’s coming back. The bad news? He might continue swapping roles with Randy. Graise’s IMDb page shows him listed as being a main cast member of Tracker but also separates his appearances into 25 episodes from 2024-2025 then another five in 2025 in a second entry. The latter indicates that he will be in Episodes 13, 14, 15, 18, and 19 of Season 2. That’s every episode bar two coming out over the next several weeks.
Since this list leaves out Episodes 16 and 17, explaining his absence again between episodes, assuming Colter needs his help, raises more questions. Further, if the plan is for Bobby to constantly interchange with Randy, there needs to be a more definitive explanation why. Rotating cast or not, the absence of Bobby’s character strengthens how crucial the character is to the dynamic of the show, and how every character’s role matters. It’s the second time Tracker has removed a main character and not addressed it.
Which Characters Have Left Tracker?
This Isn’t the First Time Tracker Hasn’t Addressed a Character’s Absence
Robin Weigert played Teddi in Season 1, Velma’s wife and Colter’s other handler. She disappeared without a trace in Season 2, and the only explanation Tracker provided was from Velma: that she went to help her mother. Through the entire season, her absence has never been addressed on screen. Velma now works in a shared office with Reenie and the two have grown closer. Producers have confirmed offscreen that Velma and Teddi are separated. Yet half a season in, not a word has been spoken about what happened on screen.
While Colter is a lone wolf who rarely spends casual time with anyone, Bobby, Reenie, and Velma are the three people he trusts implicitly, who he can always rely on, and who love him for who he is. They’re also key people to the story for viewers, and their stories need to be developed as well. As for Bobby, with Reenie and Velma growing closer and sharing more, and Colter even opening up more to Reenie, fans want to see Bobby as part of that dynamic, too. Flip-flopping him through episodes doesn’t allow for that.
This isn’t to say that Randy isn’t a wonderful addition. But when push comes to shove, while Colter knows and trusts Randy, the relationship isn’t the same. Bobby will put his life on the line for Colter, but fans aren’t sure that Randy will. Bobby also has a sense of humble arrogance about him that adds a special flavor to Tracker. He finds it humorous when Colter asks if he can do or find something, as if it would be possible that he couldn’t. Often, by the time Colter calls Bobby, he has already been working on exactly what he knows Colter is about to ask him to do. Professional relationships like that are rare. Tracker remains Graise’s only current project, so the only logical reason for the character’s absence, unless it has to do with the storyline or Graise’s own personal life, is that the cast is rotating. With 10 episodes left in Season 2, and Tracker already renewed for Season 3, there’s plenty of time for Bobby to come back.
Luckily, there’s every indication that Bobby will return. How long he stays before departing again is unknown. For the sake of the show and the fans who appreciate the characters and the dynamics within Colter’s entire team, he’ll hopefully be sticking around for a lot longer before he needs to deal with “family issues” again.
