On the surface, Tracker is a very simple show.
Colter Shaw was a reward seeker extraordinaire who got the tip of the reward, traveled to any town in America he wanted to go to, and got the job done.
Sure, there are a few outlier times where Colt comes together to help his friends and even magical times where he meets his family, but overall, that’s the point of Trackers.
So, with a simple premise, you wouldn’t think we’d have much demand for a second season, but you’d be totally wrong!
The Justin Hartley-led show was a hit on CBS last season. The show received critical acclaim early in its second season as viewers became obsessed with all things Colter Shaw.
This gave the creators plenty of time to carefully craft and plan the season and tease out a lot of the things that worked well in the freshman season and everything that didn’t work so well.
One big change is the absence of Robin Wiegert’s Teddy Bruin, who is leaving in the upcoming season, leaving Curt as the agent. Not to mention how wife Velma will handle things.
There’s a lot to think about this season, and we’re looking at some of the things we need to see as the series develops.
More Shaw Brothers Family Dramas
The most compelling part of Tracker’s first season was the Shaw family drama, which spanned the first thirteen episodes.
Ashton Shaw’s mysterious death and the tension between Colter and brother Russell were storylines throughout the season. However, the story is pushed into the background at times to the point where it loses momentum.
The case of the week was one thing and a way to develop Colt’s character, but it was a fun family drama that culminated in the last few episodes where we met Dory and Russell Shaw, And eventually Colt learns some interesting information from an old family friend from Trackers Season 1 Episode 13.
Season 2 will do well to have Colt continue to investigate his past, reach out to his siblings, and reconnect with his mom, Mary Dove, who went missing after an early morning appearance .
It’s clear they wanted to drag things out a little longer, which is understandable considering it has the potential to keep the audience guessing, but it’s not scripted to cram some story into a few hours and then drop it for a few weeks .
Keeping the drama going throughout the season and bringing his family into this week’s case is a win-win for everyone, as it allows for further exploration of Colt and the expansion of this big mystery.
Get better involved in characters and develop them
Colter Shaw is the biggest attraction here, and no one is trying to argue with that. He’s a lone wolf (something the show has pointed out multiple times), and that works to an extent.
It’s fun to see him go to new towns and make friends with police officers or well-meaning townspeople who want to help him complete his mission.
But Colter had a built-in team, consisting of Velma, Bobby, and Renee.
All three characters (minus Velma) were strong in season one, and Bobby and Renee both had cases that Colt needed to solve. Yet their interactions over the course of an hour are often reduced to a phone call, which helps move the plot forward but does nothing else for them.
Since the show is currently in production, there’s probably no clear way to change this, but more effort needs to be put into developing the characters every second they’re on screen.
Use Bobby’s phone call with Colt to continue to solidify him and his relationship with Colt. Or show us more of Reenie and Bobby working together behind the scenes to help.
We get a taste of this in specific moments in season one, and they’re some of the best scenes with these two characters.
Colter may not be the type to have sidekicks or sidekicks, but he does have a team, and it’s not too much to ask that they be more than just plot movers, but fully realized characters.
More locations
Obviously, it’s impossible to film “Stalker” around the world; it’s not an impossible task. Therefore, they are somewhat limited in what they can actually do when depicting different states and cities. Still, one of the coolest parts of the series is seeing Colt in a new setting.
We’ve seen Corte in fishing towns, large resort towns, and even big cities. It would have been nice to see more cities and locations that Colter might not be familiar with.
Colter knows the ins and outs of surviving in the woods and similar situations, but what about navigating Los Angeles or New York City?
Maybe we just want to see Colter step out of his comfort zone a little bit.
Regardless, the show’s willingness to place Colt across the country rather than having him solely responsible for solving mysteries and disappearances in one particular city or town is a strength, and one they should continue to build upon.
Romance isn’t required – though we don’t object
We love a good ship here at TV Fanatic, and honestly who doesn’t?
It’s always a pleasure to see love on screen and watch a romantic relationship develop. However, in keeping with Colt’s lone wolf status, the first season decided to abandon all romance and instead build up the case and Colt’s backstory.
Outside of the first episode of Tracker Season 1, when Curt had a brief romance with a cop, we didn’t see any other romantic prospects for Curt, other than Billie and maybe Renee .
Billie and Renee are both women that Curt has a past with, so it stands to reason that if the show does decide to go down a romantic path, it’s likely to be one of these two. Both women have a history with Colter, and they didn’t need to make a connection out of thin air.
But the show isn’t meant to be about Colt’s romantic life, and it certainly doesn’t need it at this point in the story.
Would it be interesting to see how Colt handles relationships while still trying to do everything himself? Sure, but that’s something they can pursue in the future.
Relationships often dominate the narrative, or become unnecessarily outdated. Until the stalkers find a way to better integrate the established secondary characters they currently have, they can save the romance for later.
Tracker will be back soon and we’ll be covering it again here on TV Fanatic! While we wait for it to return, leave all the comments you want to see in the comments below!
Trackers will premiere on CBS on Sunday, October 13 at 8/7c.
