Fans of Tracker have quite a bit to look forward to in upcoming storylines, but the series could also garner more attention from former fans of NBC’s Found by fully leaning into one crucial change. In fact, making a very specific alteration would be advisable in light of one controversy that’s already been threatening fans’ outlook on Tracker season 3.
There are already obvious reasons to suspect that viewers left in the desert by NBC’s Found cancelation might find their way over to Tracker, as both series revolve around a diverse cast trying to locate missing persons while operating outside of the law. However, with the imminent loss of two of Tracker’s main characters, it’s time to explore another similarity.
Tracker Season 3 Already Faces Criticism For Its Potential Lack Of Diversity
It Doesn’t Help That The Series’ Departing Characters Were Already Underused
Eric Graise as Bobby Exley in Tracker
Although it currently remains unknown how the series will justify Bobby and Velma’s Tracker season 3 exits, many fans of the series are already livid. Particularly after Teddi’s departure, Velma and Bobby brought racial and cultural balance to a series depicted through an otherwise very white lens. Without them or Randy, some episodes would have featured almost exclusively white casts.
It seems as if the network and showrunners must have known this to some degree, as a cursory overview of differences between Tracker and source novel The Never Game suggests Bobby may have been added explicitly for the representation he brought to the table. And it didn’t hurt that actor Eric Graise represents real-life amputees succeeding in the entertainment industry.
Meanwhile, Teddi’s Tracker season 2 departure left Velma with little to do, particularly in episodes that begin with Colter having already accepted his next job. In truth, the dwindling importance of Bobby and Velma’s presence hurt the show’s diversity almost as much as their exits will. But their absences can somewhat ironically open the door for a fairly serviceable solution.
Tracker Can Fix Its Diversity Problem By Becoming Found’s Best Replacement Series
Gabi Mosely’s Mission Statement Is A Nearly Perfect Fit For Colter Shaw
Shanola Hampton as Gabi Mosely in Found
From the very beginning of NBC’s Found, it’s made clear in no uncertain terms that Gabi’s mission statement for Mosely & Associates is to target missing persons whose stories might otherwise go untold. The inclusion of a press conference in every episode emphasizes M&A’s focus on giving voices to the voiceless, whether they be marginalized by race, disability, or otherwise.
In some ways, Tracker’s set up to do this even better. Putting Gabi’s mission in Colter’s hands might run the risk of inviting “white savior” criticisms from viewers, but the series is also at less risk of stealing attention from its victims as Found often did with its intense Sir storyline. Tracker’s Shaw family mystery is spotlighted much less frequently.
Moreover, while losing Bobby and Velma might rob CBS’ hit series of diversity among its regular and recurring characters, cutting out extraneous storylines means that Colter’s search for each week’s victim can receive even greater focus. This means any systemic issues at the heart of these disappearances failing to make the news would receive more attention by way of association.
To be clear, it’s not that Tracker’s supporting cast has been holding the show back from angling toward this direction in prior seasons. It’s more that Found simply informs the most logical course correction as Tracker faces increasing backlash for its lack of diversity. And despite its alabaster protagonist, it can make up for one of Found’s biggest late-game blunders.
Tracker Featuring More Diverse Cases Can Make Up For Found Season 2’s Biggest Mistake
Found’s Most Mistreated Character Received Little Sympathy From Fans
Kelli Williams as Margaret Reed at the bus station in Found
At the risk of denigrating a felonious kidnapper, Gabi Mosely isn’t always the most likable character. And, regardless of the crimes Gabi admits to in the Found season 2 finale, the truly disturbing issue is that M&A watches Margaret obsess over Jamie for years to the point of losing her daughters and nearly her life, yet they enable her constantly.
Found season 2’s Margaret storyline doesn’t change that the series did very much continue spotlighting diverse demographics and social groups not often featured in more cynically profit-driven media representation. However, it began to feel increasingly as if each week’s marginalized group of focus had to compete for runtime with repetitive scenes of a white woman sitting around a bus stop.
Because Colter’s family mystery takes up relatively little runtime per season, and with fewer characters now demanding shoehorned narratives, Tracker can focus almost explicitly on any group or issue it chooses to feature. It’s unfortunate that Found lost that sense of identity toward the end, but at least it’s not entirely too late for another network to take the reins.
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