Tracker is a CBS success story — but that doesn’t mean season 3 won’t go through some changes to keep things interesting.
The hit series, which premiered in February 2024, has viewers tuning in each week to see their favorite fictional survivalist Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) travel the country to help solve various missing persons cases. But over time, fans have also become accustomed to watching Colter receive help from his team: handler Velma (Abby McEnany), hacker Bobby (Eric Graise) and attorney Reenie (Fiona Rene).
Tracker quickly found success after being coined the most-watched broadcast premiere since NCIS’ final episode with Mark Harmon in September 2021. Its average viewership was reported to be 18.2 million per episode, according to Paramount+ and broadcast measurements.
Variety‘s annual list of the year’s 100 most-watched primetime telecasts revealed that Tracker episodes earned 15 top spots. Despite making Us wait 11 weeks for new episodes, the second season dominated viewership with the season 2 premiere bringing in 8.3 million total viewers — a nearly 10 percent increase in viewership from the season 1 finale. The season 2 premiere also marked the show’s highest audience since the series debuted in February 2024 after the Super Bowl.
“It’s really the cool show now, right? So, we actually got really lucky. I feel like I blinked, all of a sudden woke up and it’s been 20 years. But I’ve been in this business long enough to have developed these relationships,” Hartley told The Hollywood Reporter in April. “When you see the people on our show that are familiar faces and actors you know, like Jensen Ackles and my wife [Sofia Pernas], these are relationships I’ve had for a long time. I was really grateful I was able to do that.”
He continued: “I think they trusted me knowing I’m not going to call them and ask them to do something, or invite them to do something unless I think it’s really cool and fun and would be good for them as well. So we start off on that foot, and then this show became what it is. It’s huge. People think it’s cool and want to be a part of it, which is also nice because it allows you to get a bigger pool of talent.”
The CBS show has already been renewed for a third season. Keep scrolling for everything to know about the next installment:
What Will Season 3 Be About?
The second season wrapped up Colter’s white whale case with ex Camille’s (Floriana Lima) missing sister but he still has yet to solve the mystery surrounding his father’s death. Colter previously thought his brother, Russell (Ackles), was responsible but has since questioned that.
Who Is Returning?
Tracker stars Hartley, McEnany, Graise, Rene and now Chris Lee. There are also certain guest stars who keep returning including Ackles, Hartley’s wife, Pernas, Melissa Roxburgh and Jennifer Morrison.
Before season 2 aired, Robin Weigert exited the show in a shocking shakeup. Weigert’s character, Teddi, was written off in the season 2 premiere by having her wife, Velma reveal that they needed some distance. Velma has since been working with Reenie, and Teddi hasn’t been discussed despite her prominent presence in the show’s first season.
Will There Be Onscreen Changes?
“One of the challenges in season 3 is going to be reconfiguring the team and figuring out what that team looks like,” executive producer Elwood Reid exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2025 about making sure Tracker doesn’t “fall into complacency.”
He continued: “I don’t want the show to be phone a friend every week. I think that gets old and Justin 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?'”
During season 2, fans were surprised by Graise’s six-episode absence. Reid revealed how the writers’ room reacted to the strong backlash — and how Bobby’s cousin fits into the equation.
“It’s one of those things where actor availability is always an issue. There have been shows where people don’t even notice [if a character is missing],” Reid noted. “With those dynamics — and in playing with this team dynamics — that’s all stuff we’re going to continue to play with in season 3 as the show evolves.”
There will also be appearances from other past characters.
“We’re going to bring back some characters from seasons 1 and 2 — we’re going to see them more and more,” Reid told Us. “There’s been some fun characters that I think are fun to see in Colter’s world [season to season].”
Could Colter Die in the Future?
According to Hartley? Possibly.
“I don’t want our audience to forget that this man is mortal, he’s not a superhero. He can die!” Hartley told The Hollywood Reporter in April. “The things he is doing are very, very dangerous.”
Reid elaborated to Us one month later, saying, “There’s the physical element of it. But then there’s also — which I think we’ve seen a few times during the season — there’s the emotional thing that gets to him. I continue to remind ourselves — the writers — that he’s human, he can die and he can get hurt.”
He continued: “Justin is always pitching that we see an episode where Colter is almost dead in the middle of the show and we go back. He’s got all kinds of crazy ideas but I think that’s what makes the show fun. The minute he becomes like Superman, he is out. That’s not what Justin wants to play — and I don’t think that that’s what the character is.”
