Why Robin Weigert Isn’t in Tracker Season 2 — And How the Show Handles Her Exit

As Tracker begins its explosive second season, fans who have been with the Justin Hartley-led drama will notice a pretty big change in Season 2. Though the majority of the core cast has remained the same, Robin Weigert‘s Teddi Bruin is no longer a part of Colter Shaw’s team of backup players. But what happened? Did Tracker kill Teddi off-screen? Did she decide to leave Velma (Abby McEnany) and the rest of them behind? Well, the Season 2 premiere “Out of the Past” gives us an explanation for why Teddi’s suddenly missing, and it’s one that’s pretty understandable in the long run.

‘Tracker’ Explains Teddi’s Absence Immediately in Season 2

As is Tracker‘s way (the show loves its secrets after all), the series doesn’t explain in too fine detail where Teddi ran off to. Still, we did learn why her and Velma are currently split up, with the latter now relying on Reenie (Fiona Rene) to co-handle Colter’s latest cases. As it turns out, Teddi is taking a break from work to help her sick mother at the moment, and though Velma was originally supposed to be there for moral support, she had been sent off after “getting in the way.” “She’s gonna be there a while,” Velma tells the gang, “She’s helping her mom get sorted.”

Season 1 places Teddi and Velma somewhere in northern Florida, while Season 2 takes Velma out of her comfort zone into a new Colorado-based environment. As she helps Reenie set up her new law offices, Velma is quickly pulled in by the allure and excitement of this new business venture. Together, the pair have taken to handling all of Colter’s latest jobs, and continue to help run the show from the “back end.” It’s unclear right now if we’ll ever see Teddi again on Tracker (either this season or in the future), but at least we have some update as to why our favorite former rock band touring manager isn’t around to give Colter a piece of her mind.

How Does Robin Weigert’s Exit Impact ‘Tracker’?

The truth is, Teddi’s exit doesn’t change the feel of Tracker hardly at all. With shifting Velma (and Teddi’s handler duties) over to Reenie’s side of the board, the series remains very much “the Colter Shaw show.” Even with the new change of scenery for Velma, and Reenie’s added job responsibilities, the general plot and tone is not adjusted in any way. Of course, the fact that Tracker is structured more like a procedural — with Colter being the only character who actively drives the narrative — makes it easy for characters to come and go, even some of those in the main cast. Just don’t get rid of Bobby (Eric Graise) any time soon!

But Tracker is still the same dynamic show as ever, always offering new surprises. By writing Teddi off the way the series did, the door is certainly left open for her return. Of course, that’s all up to Robin Weigert (we’re still not entirely sure why she left the series in the first place), but the show was wise not to kill her off or otherwise solidify her exit. After all, with so many exciting guest stars and recurring characters to pull from, there’s no reason she couldn’t be added to that list down the line.