On its surface, Tracker is a pretty straightforward show.
Colter Shaw, reward-seeker extraordinaire, gets a tip on a reward, heads to whatever town in America he needs to be at, and gets stuff done.
There are, of course, some outlier hours in which Colter meets up to help a friend or even those magical hours where he meets up with family, but by and large, that’s the gist of Tracker.
So, with a simple premise, you wouldn’t think we’d have a lot of wants for Season 2, but you’d be very wrong!
The Justin Hartley-led show was a massive hit for CBS last season. With viewers enthralled with everything Colter Shaw, the show scored an early Season 2 pickup.
That gave the creators ample time to craft and plan for this season and comb through many of the things that worked during their freshman season and everything that didn’t work so well.
One significant change will be the absence of Teddi Bruin, played by Robin Weigert, who will depart this upcoming season, leaving Colter down a handler. And that’s to say nothing of how things will be left with wife Velma.
There’s much to ponder about this season, and we’re examining some of the things we need to see as the series grows.
More Shaw Family Drama
The most compelling part of Tracker Season 1 was the Shaw family drama, which played out throughout the first thirteen episodes.
Ashton Shaw’s mysterious death and the strained relationship between Colter and brother Russell were underlying storylines all season. However, the story was sometimes pushed into the background so much that it lost momentum.
The cases of the week are one thing and a way to grow Colter’s character, but the family drama was intriguing and reached a fever pitch in the final few episodes, where we met both Dory and Russell Shaw, and culminated in Colter learning some fascinating information from an old family friend during Tracker Season 1 Episode 13.
The second season would do well to have Colter continue to investigate his past, engage with his siblings, and reconnect with his mom, Mary Dove, who was MIA after making an appearance in the early hours.
It’s clear they want to drag things out a bit, which is understandable considering its potential to keep audiences guessing, but dropping some lore into a few hours and then abandoning it for weeks isn’t the play.
Sprinkling the drama throughout the season and incorporating his family into the cases of the week is a win-win for everyone, as it allows further exploration of Colter and expansion of the big mystery.
Incorporate the Characters Better & Develop Them
Colter Shaw is the main attraction here, and no one tries to refute that. He’s a lone wolf (something the show has repeatedly pointed out), and it works to a point.
It’s fun to see him go to new cities and towns and make friends with a police officer or well-meaning townsperson who wants to help him out with his mission.
But Colter has a built-in team consisting of Velma, Bobby, and Reenie.
All three of those characters, sans Velma, had their moments to shine in the first season, with both Bobby and Reenie having cases for Colter to solve that hit close to home. However, so often, their interactions in an hour were relegated to a single phone call that helped move the plot along but did nothing else for them.
There may not be a clear-cut way to change this as the show is currently constructed, but more effort is needed to develop the characters every second they’re on screen.
Use Bobby’s phone calls with Colter to continue building upon him and his relationship with Colter. Or show us more of Reenie and Bobby working together behind the scenes to help.
We got a taste of that at specific points in the first season, and they were among some of the best scenes for both characters.
Colter may not be the kind of person to have a sidekick or partner, but he does have a crew, and it shouldn’t be too much to ask to allow them to be more than plot movers and instead fully realized characters.
More Locations
Obviously, Tracker can’t film all around the world; this isn’t Mission Impossible. So, they’re somewhat limited in what they can realistically do in depicting different states and cities. Still, one of the cooler parts of the series is seeing Colter in new environments.
We’ve seen Colter in fishing towns, big resort-type towns, and even a major city. It’d be neat to see more cities and locations with which Colter may be unfamiliar.
Colter knows the ins and outs of survival in the woods and similar situations, but what about navigating Los Angeles or New York City?
Perhaps we just want to see Colter outside of his comfort zone a bit.
Either way, the show’s willingness to place Colter all over the country and not have him relegated to solving mysteries and disappearances in one particular city or town is a strength and something they should continue to build upon.
Romance Isn’t Necessary-Though We Aren’t Opposed
We love a good ‘ship at TV Fanatic, and who doesn’t, honestly?
It’s always nice to see love on-screen and to watch a romantic relationship play out. However, in keeping with Colter’s lone wolf status, the first season decided to forgo all romance in favor of building up the cases and Colter’s backstory.
Outside of Tracker Season 1 Episode 1, when Colter had a short-lived fling with a police officer, we didn’t see Colter have any other romantic prospects, sans for Billie and maybe Reenie.
Billie and Reenie are both women Colter has a past with, so it stands to reason that if the show did decide to go down the romance path, it would likely be with one of those two. Both women already have a history with Colter, and they don’t need to create a connection out of thin air.
But the show isn’t constructed to be about Colter’s romantic life and certainly doesn’t need it at this juncture in the story.
Would it be interesting to see how Colter navigates a relationship while still trying to do everything himself? Sure, but it’s something they could pursue down the road.
Relationships can tend to dominate a narrative or become obsolete to the point of being unnecessary. Until Tracker can find a way to better integrate the established secondary character they currently have, they can save the romance for later.
Tracker will be back very soon, and we’ll be covering it again episodically here at TV Fanatic! And while we wait for its return, drop all your comments about what you’d like to see in the comments below!
Tracker premieres Sunday, October 13 at 8/7c on CBS.