Tracker is known for a cast that comes and goes from the show — but Justin Hartley is now revealing if past characters will return following numerous offscreen exits.
“We have a really great, I guess, list of characters that we’ve had in the past and actors that we’ve had play those characters that if we can get them to return — and I think they will — they all really love Tracker,” Hartley, 49, told TV Insider on Sunday, March 1. “It’s cool.”
He continued: “I always like the idea of seeing returning characters and going, ‘Oh, I remember when they had that conversation. That was cool. Oh, OK. That’s an old friend that he can trust. Oh, cool. Now she’s in trouble, or oh, she needs his help with something.’”
Hartley promised a “huge payoff,” adding, “I think you gain a lot by doing that, so yeah, we’ll do that.”
Hartley is the reason many Tracker fans started watching the show when it premiered in February 2024. Following a six-year stint on NBC’s This Is Us, Hartley scored his own show, which introduced fictional survivalist Colter Shaw as he travels the country to help solve various missing persons cases.
A side plot has since emerged that has dug deeper into Colter’s family life, including how his dad’s mysterious death might have been at the hands of someone Colter knows. But while most of the show is rooted in Colter’s story lines, the audience grew to love Colter’s team: handlers Teddi (Robin Weigert) and Velma (Abby McEnany), hacker Bobby (Eric Graise) and attorney Reenie (Fiona Rene).
Imagine Us‘ surprise when Weigert left before season 2 started filming. From there, season 2 brought in Chris Lee‘s character, Randy, to take over as Colter’s computer whiz while Graise was absent from six episodes. It was later confirmed that Graise and McEnany were the next main cast members to depart the series before season 3.
“It’s one of those things where actor availability is always an issue. There have been shows where people don’t even notice [if a character is missing],” executive producer Elwood Reid previously told Us Weekly in May 2025 before news broke about Graise and McEnany’s exits. “Randy came in and also gave something to the show that was different. There was a real warmth and fun when he came in. It was something that I think we were missing a little bit too in some episodes. He just was immediately fun when he came in.”
Reid continued: “With those dynamics — and in playing with this team dynamics — that’s all stuff we’re going to continue to play with in season 3 as the show evolves. We’re going to bring back some characters from seasons 1 and 2 — we’re going to see them more and more. There’s been some fun characters that I think are fun to see in Colter’s world [season to season].”
At the time, Reid noted that Tracker has “no rules,” adding, “The only rule I really have of the show is each week Colter is going to come to a new place and there’s going to be a new case. How he gets those answers and what he uses on the team, that’s all something that’s up for grabs. Meeting these [local] weird characters is something we’re going to try to do more of as the season goes on. Just Colter coming in and interacting with other characters. That’s fun to see Justin flex those muscles with really good guest cast members.”
Tracker airs on CBS Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
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