I’m More Excited About Tracker Season 2 After Surprise Subplot Update Tracker Season 2 is on the way, and while I expected it to be good, I’m even more excited now after the surprise subplot update — or lack thereof, as the case may be. Tracker Season 1 was, to put it bluntly, a huge hit for CBS. Tracker was so beloved by CBS viewers that it was greenlit for Season 2 after just four episodes of Season 1, and star Justin Hartley may have accidentally confirmed Tracker Season 3 before Season 2 aired. It’s clear that the network is fully behind Colter Shaw and his team.
However, with such a huge hit, there’s no guarantee that Tracker Season 2’s story will be as easy to flesh out or as successful. That’s why I was so happy to read a recent interview with the showrunners and producers about their focus heading into season 2 — namely, that it won’t waver. That has to do with how they’ll handle any potential spinoffs and when they think the show will benefit.
According to Nielsen, Tracker season 1 languished at 8.28 million viewers per episode in the coveted 18-49 demographic.
The big news about a Tracker spinoff is that there isn’t one — at least not right now. Showrunners Elwood Reid and Ken Olin, who are also producers on Tracker, have addressed the possibility of a spinoff and confirmed that no spinoff is in the works. As Olin puts it, “Elwood and I are pretty happy doing this [show]. It’s a weird show to spin off. But like, things aren’t as easy to break out of anymore. I mean, look, Dick Wolf was super successful and all that, but those [shows] are old, too?”
To me, it’s surprising that there isn’t a spinoff in the works, if not in development. Tracker is CBS’s biggest new hit in years, and it’s a procedural. Almost every procedural has gotten a spinoff or two, from the sprawling Law & Order universe to CBS’s other new hit, Fire Country, which got a spinoff, Sheriff Country, after its second season. Given how popular Tracker has proven to be, it seems like it was destined to be the next network procedural to get some kind of spinoff. That said, I think it’s great that it doesn’t have a spinoff, even though that might sound strange.
While I like Tracker and would love a spinoff eventually, the reason I’m glad it doesn’t have a spinoff right now all depends on Reid’s explanation for why it doesn’t have a spinoff yet. Here’s a really smart way to think about it: “It’s funny because all my friends were like, You have to start thinking about splitting it. The second season is hard. I’ve seen this with shows, when they split them too early, both shows have problems. The show is very singular with Justin [at the center], so it’s really important that we continue to expand the world, expand the cases, and [expand] what Tracker can do. New York or Chicago, where they’re always solving a murder, I can go to any world. I can go to auto racing, I can go to Nashville, I can go to any world I want.”
As cancel-loving as networks and especially streaming services are these days, it often takes a season for a show to really find its footing, even popular shows.
When he said it that way, I had to look at it that way and I realized he was absolutely right. Reid makes a great point. He’s right about shows pushing spinoffs too quickly. With networks and especially streaming services these days, it often takes a season for a show to really find its footing, even popular ones. We certainly saw that with Tracker, which lost a lead actor before season 2. While Tracker was well received, it obviously wasn’t without some wobbles, which is normal. Giving the show some breathing room was smart.
Tracker season 2 needs to avoid a very damaging (and already happening) trope for its first major character departure Tracker season 2 will see its first major character departure, but the show needs to avoid a bad trope to continue its signature momentum.
Running a hit show is a huge job. It requires total focus and everyone has to be on board until the show is stable and solidly on its path. I really appreciate Reid and Olin confirming that they are fully committed to Tracker Season 2 to ensure the show’s success, rather than letting their attention be distracted. This is a trap that too many showrunners fall into, and we’ve seen what happens when producers get too caught up in the
