Tracker Star Teases Season 2 Plot & Explains Reenie’s Feelings For Colter: “I Can’t Imagine How It Would Work”
CBS’ Tracker premiered its pilot episode in early 2024, surpassing viewers’ expectations and dethroning NCIS as the network’s most-watched scripted series. The show stars This Is Us alumni, Justin Hartley, as Colter Shaw, a “rewardist” who travels the country searching for missing people in exchange for payouts. In addition to its case-of-the-week format, Tracker sees Colter investigate his father’s death, with the finale revealing a crucial piece of information that will likely propel the plot of season 2.
While Colter initially presents as a lone wolf, he doesn’t solve his cases alone. His team previously consisted of handlers Velma and Teddi Bruin, lawyer Reenie Green, and IT specialist Bobby Exley. While Robin Weigert will not be returning for the show’s sophomore season on October 13, the rest of the cast will be back to assist Colter in his mission. Star Fiona Rene, who portrays Reenie, shares that the group will be closer than ever, strengthening their bond during Tracker’s upcoming episodes.
Screen Rant interviews Rene about the impact Teddi’s absence will have on the team, what’s next for Reenie after leaving the law firm, and why she feels a romance between her character and Colter wouldn’t work in Tracker season 2.
Tracker Season 2 Will See Reenie Finding Her Identity Outside Of Colter & Her Old Law Firm
“You’ll see a little bit more of her on the field, you’ll see a little bit more of her in her own office. You’ll see a little bit more of her, period.”
Screen Rant: Season 1 of Tracker was obviously a huge success. How do you feel the second season differentiates itself from the first while still maintaining this high standard it’s created?
Fiona Rene: We’ve got a lot more episodes this season, so I feel like we’ve got a lot more space to climb. Honestly, I’m still blown away. I can’t even believe that we’re here. It has not settled in. We’re in the middle of filming season 2. It’s just been really exciting, and I think people are going to be very pleased. We’ve got a lot of really good storylines coming.
We know that sadly, Teddi, will not be in season 2, and Tracker is really about a team dynamic. How would you say this missing gear affects the way they approach cases?
Fiona Rene: In general, I feel like the team has gotten stronger and closer. Robin Weigert is an absolute star, and I love her personally and professionally, but I think it really gave an opportunity for the Reenie, Velma, and Bobby characters to come together, as opposed for the Velma and Teddi characters to be so separate from the other two, which I think is necessary because we’re developing something and turning into a little family supporting our boy. Without us being a team when he’s gone, literally together and talking to each other, it would be really hard to support.
Reenie quit her job at the end of season 1, so what does that mean for her storyline?
Fiona Rene: I think in the very beginning it’s clear that she wants her identity to be somewhat not attached to Colter and not attached to her old job, her old firm, where it felt like, in my mind, that all these men were telling her what to do, and she was like, “I’ve had enough. I’m going to open up my own and tell myself what to do as a woman.”
I think that’s what she was feeling in the back of her mind. And because of that, you’re going to see her on her own a little bit, but she never stops wanting to help Colter. Their friendship really builds foundationally over time. You’ll see a little bit more of her on the field, you’ll see a little bit more of her in her own office. You’ll see a little bit more of her, period.
Colter Doesn’t Allow Himself To Have A Romantic Partner Due To The Nature Of His Job
“Reenie thinks that he feels guilty for always being on the road and never being able to actually be a good partner to someone.”
We know from season 1 that Reenie and Colter did have some kind of physical or romantic relationship in the past. Because so much happened offscreen, were you given more details that helped you build that dynamic?
Fiona Rene: No. It’s really interesting how much the actors are in the dark sometimes, and I think they do that on purpose, really, so they have more room to stretch and grow and play in the writers’ room. There’ll be times where they contact us, and they’re like, “Hey, we’re thinking this and that,” but I think they let us play.
And what I found was that Colter’s character is so opposed to any kind of relationship long-term because Reenie thinks that he feels guilty for always being on the road and never being able to actually be a good partner to someone, so he keeps himself away from that dynamic.
If the stars ever aligned and Colter wanted to settle down, is that something that Reenie would want?
Fiona Rene: I mean, I love him, but do you expect me to live in a trailer? [Laughs] You know what I mean? I think that there’s so much love there, but I also think that she would never live on the road. You’ve got two people who are so unapologetically themselves that I can’t imagine how it would work, but who knows?
There’s so much we still don’t know about Reenie. Are we going to learn more about her background in season 2?
Fiona Rene: I think so. The whole point of them really being able to dig into the backstories of all of the other series regulars—you’ll get some sprinkling throughout the season for all three of us, and maybe why Colter cares about us. The doors will open up a little bit there for sure.
Rene Would Love To See Sterling K. Brown And Shailene Woodley Appear In Tracker
“My manager and I have been talking nonstop about how we’d need to see Sterling K. Brown on this series just because he’s got history on the This Is Us franchise.”
As you continue to play Reenie, is there anything about her that surprises you?
Fiona Rene: Yes, I’m so impressed by her. There are days where I really go, “Okay, Fiona, get it together. Get a little Reenie on. You can do this.” She’s become almost like a little role model for me in many ways because I’m just impressed by a woman who works that hard and cares that hard and still has the ability to wake up and straighten her hair in the morning.
And there are women out there that do that, and you’re like, “How do you guys keep it together? Oh my gosh.” Episode 10, last season, whenever we find out about a little bit about her and her relationship with her dad and how she’s like, “I’ll fish you under the table.” I was like, “Oh, okay. Maybe I relate to her a little bit more than I thought.”
Tracker brings in so many incredible guest stars. Is there an actor you would like to have on the show?
Fiona Rene: My manager and I have been talking nonstop about how we’d need to see Sterling K. Brown on this series just because he’s got history on the This Is Us franchise. I met him at a CBS event and he was such a doll, and so I was like, “Surely we’ve got to bring him on.” I would also love to see Shailene Woodley, not go missing, but maybe have someone she loves go missing. I would just love to watch her do her thing.
There are so many different stories Tracker can tell with these missing person cases. Is there a theme that you would like to see explored?
Fiona Rene: This might actually happen. I’m not sure. But I called Elwood, one of our showrunners, because Eric, the actor who plays Bobby, has a Black and Native background, and we were talking a little bit about how cool it would be if something went missing on Native land, and to have a little conversation about the dynamics of what that would look like legally. How people would be able to go on that reservation land and that property to help them search for a missing person. That’s happened.
In real life, that’s happened a lot—Indigenous women going missing, and how has that affected the community of those Indigenous people on top of the community surrounding that that are not Indigenous. That might be going a little too far in the politic realm, but I would really love to see how Colter would handle that. What I’ve noticed this season is that they really have gone out of the box with a lot of different storylines. Last season we had the horse episode. They have the dilegence to really think outside the box. I cannot wait for people to watch episode 2 of season 2. I cannot wait.