Have you ever watched Tracker and thought, “Man, this show would crush it with a Western vibe”? If not, you’re about to. Because let’s be honest—when you mix a rugged protagonist, mystery-driven plots, vast American landscapes, and a thirst for justice, you’re already halfway to cowboy boots and tumbleweeds. In this deep dive, we’re going to explore why a Western-themed episode of Tracker isn’t just a fun idea—it’s a genius move that could elevate the series and thrill its growing fanbase. Saddle up, because we’re about to ride into TV gold.
One of the reasons why I believe that Tracker could attempt a single Western-centric episode so easily is because it’s already genre-hopped before. Season 2’s “The Mercy Seat” was something out of a survivalist horror flick, and “Ontological Shock” took plenty of cues from The X-Files. Because Colter interacts with people from all walks of life, there aren’t really limits to the types of cases that he can tackle. Tracker’s main “brand” as a show is Colter Shaw himself, but there are no other characters, locations, or long-term plotlines that would limit him from genre-hopping. The show has even tackled spiritual themes in the past, and while it’s left much of that up to interpretation, the fact that it’s willing to take chances proves that it’s the type of show that’s just ripe for trying a horse opera.
Western heroes — lawmen or otherwise — who manage to drift into a new town just in time to stop some trouble. The standard Tracker formula itself feels somewhat derivative from the classic TV Westerns, evoking the same types of stories in a new, modern-day context. Again, I’m definitely not advocating for Tracker to travel back to the 1800s, but there is a whole Western-themed culture out there — be it through cowboys, rodeo, reservation life, etc. — that is worth exploring on a show like this. What’s the point of Colter traveling across the country to all these different cities, communities, and cultures if we don’t get to engage with the one that’s distinctly American?
In Many Ways, Colter Shaw Echoes Classic Western TV Heroes. The Western influence on Colter Shaw, whether conscious or unconscious, can be seen best when we compare him to other characters from classic Westerns. The one that immediately comes to my mind is Richard Boone’s Paladin. The Have Gun — Will Travel character’s entire identity is wrapped in the notion that he’s a sophisticated gunslinger who uses his brains and his quick draw to see jobs through to the end. He’s a gun for hire, but one with a strong moral compass who tries to do the right thing. He’s smarter than the average small-town lawman, and quite educated in various disciplines. Who does that sound like to you? We can see that Colter already fits the bill, and Tracker itself (aside from its clear lack of genre conventions) easily fits within that same Western framework as so many television programs of yesteryear.
Whether Tracker does a Western episode in the future or not certainly won’t damper my enjoyment of the series. It’s such a fun show as-is and Colter is such a great character to watch week-to-week. Since every episode feels as intense as the last, the lack of a Western episode only hurts my heart a tiny bit. However, the similarities between Tracker and many TV Westerns of old cannot be unseen once seen, and considering how much the character engages with the modern American West, it would be a real shame if we never got to see him in a cowboy hat at least once. Or at least in spurs…
