BREAKING NEWS –Behind the Scenes: The Reasons for Delaying a ‘Tracker’ Spin-off

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When Tracker premiered earlier in the year, few would have foreseen the level of acceptance it has garnered since. After a solid first season, the popular CBS drama is set to return for a sophomore season, bringing the complex familial ties of Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) back into focus. Season 2 debuts on Sunday, October 13 on CBS and when it returns, Colter will resume aiding law enforcement as well as private citizens in finding their loved ones. So impressive was the success of the show’s first season, there have been murmurings of a potential spinoff and now, Tracker‘s showrunners are weighing in.

While the series is barely a year old, Tracker has been able to garner an impressive level of acclaim in a relatively short while. While speaking with TV Line, showrunner Elwood Reid reveals that a spinoff won’t be in the show’s best interest and so it won’t be happening just yet. Reid’s objection is based on his analysis that a spinoff produced too early could potentially harm both series. His comments read:

“ It’s so funny because all my friends are like, ‘You’ve got to start thinking about spinning it off.’ Second seasons are very hard. I’ve seen this with shows, where they spin them off too early, then both shows suffer. The show is so singular with Justin [at its center] that it’s really important we keep expanding the world, expanding the cases and [expanding] what Tracker can do. Unlike a lot of shows — unlike a cop show in New York or Chicago, where they’re always dealing with a homicide — I can go into any world. I can go into stock car racing, I can go into Nashville, I can go into any world I want.”

Reid’s objections to a spinoff at this time are shared by co-showrunner, Ken Olin. There exists significant potential with perhaps a deep dive into the early years of Colter’s parents’ dealings with the government, a prime example. With Supernatural‘s Jensen Ackles on board as Colter’s brother, Russell Shaw, and Blood and Treasure‘s Sofia Pernas guest starring as rewardist, Billie Matalon, Tracker is not lacking in prospective spinoff leads. However, Olin suggests that given time, Tracker might very well be ready to expand with a spinoff.

“ Elwood and I, we’re pretty satisfied, too, by doing this [one show]. It’s a weird show to spin-off. But also, like, things don’t break through easily anymore…. I mean, look, Dick Wolf has been very successful and all that, but those [shows] are also how old now?”

The Cast For Season 2 Will Be Slightly Different

Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw standing in front of Melissa Roxburgh as his sister Dory in CBS' Tracker

While talk of potential spinoffs is exciting, especially when Tracker is considered, nothing will kick off anytime soon. What is set to happen is, come the fall, Tracker will return with new episodes. However, the series will not have its full complement of actors as it is set to lose a major cast member in Robin Weigert, who portrayed Teddi Bruin in Season 1. A crucial cog in Colter’s operational wheel, Weigert’s absence from the series going forward will be filled with Fiona Rene’s Reenie, working closely with Teddi’s partner, Velma (Abby McEnany), according to executive producer Hartley, saying, “At the end of last season, Reenie decides that she’s leaving her firm and going to go it on her own. She’s got that big life change and, in a way, she teams up with Velma and you’ll see a lot of the two of them working together, which is a really interesting dynamic.”

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