After a successful first season, Tracker season 2 has a lot to live up to, and while I was initially disappointed by the trailer, more information about the episodes shows that the video doesn’t accurately reflect what’s to come. The CBS action drama has been a huge success in its first 13-episode run. After its post-Super Bowl debut, Tracker became the most-watched scripted series of the 2023–2024 season. While this achievement is impressive, it also means that more people are appreciating Tracker season 2.
Part of what made Tracker season 1 so popular was the multi-episode storyline surrounding what happened to Ashton Shaw. Of course, the main attraction of the show was Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw, who used his survival and tracking skills to solve cases in each episode. However, the mystery of Colter’s past has kept people wanting more. At the very least, I know that’s one of the main parts of what makes Tracker interesting to me. The good news is that Tracker season 2 won’t be pushing the family mystery aside in favor of other storylines.
CBS’s trailer for Tracker season 2 doesn’t mention anything about Colter continuing to try to solve his father’s death, so after watching it, I was worried that the next batch of episodes wouldn’t bring the Shaw family mystery to the forefront. Thankfully, that won’t be the case. When asked by TV Insider how much Tracker season 2 will focus on the case, Justin Hartley (who is also an executive producer) said: “In the first two episodes, we absolutely do that… We end the first season with Colter having a lot of questions. He doesn’t even know who he can trust anymore. At the beginning of last season, he thought his brother had something to do with his dad’s death, and then he finds out, wait a minute, he might not have anything to do with this… So Russell comes back and Colter has a few questions for him about Dory’s situation and the box she has and does Russell know where it is? And all of a sudden these government officials start asking about our dad, and you’re like, ‘Oh, what’s this about?’ So, perhaps Dad is becoming a little more vindicated in each episode, or perhaps he’s completely insane. We don’t know. We’ll dig a little deeper into that.
We won’t have to wait too long to learn more about what happened to Ashton when Tracker season 2 premieres. Although the trailer might suggest otherwise. Colter (and it looks like his brother, Russell, played by Supernatural star Jensen Ackles) will be getting back to the truth behind his father’s literal murder earlier in the season, continuing the intriguing mystery of the CBS action series. It’s safe to say I’m a little relieved that the trailer isn’t an accurate depiction of what Tracker season 2 will be about. I was concerned that season 2 wouldn’t focus much on the Shaw family mystery, mainly because of how Tracker season 1 ended. Colter was confident that his brother killed his father. But now, he’s not sure what the truth is. In the finale In season 1, Colter learns that his father had an affair with Lizzy Hawking’s mother before his death. Lizzy, played by Justin Hartley’s This Is Us co-star Jennifer Morrison, also informs Colter that she found a box containing Ashton’s belongings under her mother’s bed. She sent the box to Colter’s sister, Dory (Melissa Roxburgh), who never told him about it.
Additionally, since Jensen Ackles reprises his role as Russell in episode 2 of Tracker season 2, it makes sense to revisit Ashton’s death. Now that Colter doesn’t fully suspect his brother of killing his father, the two can work together to solve the case. However, viewers shouldn’t expect to find out the full truth behind what happened to Ashton in Tracker season 2.
