Why the Tracker Team Isn’t Thinking About a Spinoff
Midway through Season 1 of the Justin Hartley procedural, the show introduced Blood & Treasure veteran (and Hartley’s real-life wife) Sofia Pernas as bounty hunter Billie Matalon. Six weeks later, Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles debuted as Colter’s brother Russell, an Army veteran who works as a civilian contractor for a mysterious organization called The Horizon Group. Both guest stars seemed like a good fit to lead a second show set in the Tracker TV universe, but showrunner Elwood Reid didn’t think a spinoff would benefit the show.
“It’s funny because all my friends were like, ‘You have to start thinking about doing a spinoff,'” the EP told TVLine. Still, he makes the same argument over and over again: “Second seasons are tough. I’ve seen that with shows, when they do spinoffs too early, then both shows have problems.
“This show is so special 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,” Reid argues. “Unlike a lot of other shows — unlike a New York or Chicago cop show where they’re always solving a murder — I can go into any world. I can go into car racing, I can go to Nashville, I can go into any world I want.”
Co-executive producer Ken Olin agrees, adding: “Elwood and I are pretty happy doing this [a show]. It’s a weird spinoff. But it’s like, it’s not as easy to break out anymore…. I mean, look, Dick Wolf has been very successful and all that, but are those [shows] old?”
Reid admitted that “if it made sense and seemed obvious to us,” they would pursue a second show. For now, however, building on the existing show is “where our energy will be. And if we’re lucky enough to find another character” to bring it into the franchise, Ken and I would be the first ones.
