“A Special Challenge: The Opportunity for a ‘Tracker’ Spinoff Faces Unprecedented Problems!”
The Justin Harley-directed series poses a unique problem for CBS as it considers options for spinning off the popular Tracker show to turn it into a franchise. Ultimately, it seems premature to consider what another Tracker series might look like, despite the show’s popularity. Tracker was the most-watched TV series of the 2023-2024 cycle, so while audiences may want to know more about the story, showrunners have pointed to the challenge the show faces in breaking away from the TV series as early as Tracker’s second season. The core Tracker series, which premieres its first season in early 2024, is still laying out the groundwork for its own story. Season 1 of Tracker introduced Justin Hartley’s protagonist Colter Shaw, a bounty hunter who finds missing people across the country in exchange for posted reward money. The show is a procedural that follows Colter on a case-of-the-week basis, but there’s an underlying plot that involves who killed Colter’s father in Tracker. While a spinoff is an exciting prospect, the show is still exploring the basis of that story and how Colter works alongside Tracker’s compelling cast.
Aside from its time, Tracker’s premise makes it difficult to launch a solid spinoff. Unlike other successful CBS procedurals like NCIS and FBI, which feature ensemble casts, Justin Harley’s series focuses solely on Colter Shaw. Launching a spinoff is therefore a huge risk, as any follow-up series would lack the quintessential Tracker element: Colter Shaw himself. While it’s a big risk for NCIS to continue without main character Leroy Jethro Gibbs with Mark Harmon leaving the series, it’s keeping other high-profile cast members like Sean Murray who are just as important to the show’s appeal. Tracker showrunners Elwood Reid and Ken Olin addressed the possibility of a Tracker spinoff with TV Line, saying it’s not happening right now. Reid noted that he’s seen some shows suffer because it’s too early, noting that Tracker is at a crucial crossroads in its production. He called Tracker, with Justin at its center, “singular,” agreeing with the idea that a Tracker spinoff would suffer without the show’s sole protagonist. Other Tracker characters like Fiona Rene’s Reenie Green seem essential to the show. However, they were ultimately replaceable, while the main series couldn’t exist without Colter Shaw.
In the interview, Reid further explained that Tracker didn’t need a spin-off series, despite the show’s successful first season. Reid explained that Tracker’s premise was the opposite of the location-based cop series that were tied to the geography they focused on. Instead, Colter’s ability to move around as a single character and the show’s procedural format allowed the producers to put the main character in whatever area they wanted him to be. As such, Reid explained that Tracker could “go into any world” when Colter took on a case, with the show’s premise going far beyond murder.
The producer’s comments suggest that, at this point, there are many stories that the flagship Tracker series could continue before it veers off to focus on a spin-off. While Colter’s best moments in Tracker season 1 painted a diverse picture of what the bounty hunter is capable of, the series has only scratched the surface of the types of cases Colter could take on and the places he could go. Any comments from the showrunners so far suggest that there’s an interest in putting Colter in a new position, and despite what they’ve said, Tracker has a few solid options for a spinoff series. Despite its shortened episode count, Tracker’s first season introduced other characters who were popular enough to lead their own series in a Tracker spinoff. The best and most likely Tracker character to lead a spinoff is Colter’s brother, Jensen Ackles’ Russell Shaw. After being established in the series’ introduction, which featured a flashback to Colter’s childhood, as well as some text message exchanges between the brothers, Jensen Ackles finally made his big screen debut in the penultimate episode of Tracker season 1.
Jensen Ackles has proven that he’s capable of holding down a lead role on Supernatural, and has a track record of delivering compelling performances. That said, Jensen Ackles will be starring in a new Prime Video series from One Chicago creator Derek Haas called Countdown, so the star
