The third season of CBS’ hit procedural, Tracker, is coming in hot. We know that cameras are already up and running on the next set of episodes, which will debut on Sunday, October 19, with streaming also available on Paramount+. Just when audiences thought the mystery surrounding the family of Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw couldn’t get any more complicated, the Season 2 finale dropped an explosive bombshell that revealed who really killed Colter’s father. As part of Collider’s Exclusive Preview event, we were lucky enough to have an e-mail interview with Tracker’s showrunner, Elwood Reid, who gave us plenty of insight into how things are going to shake out for Colter and the rest of the characters — including Jensen Ackles’ Russell Shaw — when the series returns in two months.
Before we dig into what Reid had to say, let’s do a quick refresher, shall we? In the final seconds of Season 2, Otto Waldron (Alex Fernandez) admitted to Colter that he was, in fact, the man responsible for shoving his father, Ashton Shaw (Lee Tergesen), off a cliff and killing him. But Otto wasn’t fully working alone, as he reveals that Colter’s mother (Wendy Crewson) essentially asked him to do it. Fans will remember that Colter was back in his hometown of Echo Ridge for the Season 2 finale, and you better believe that all of these dynamics will come to a head in Season 3, as Reid told us: "Echo Ridge and what happened to Colter’s father is something he will carry with him a long time. This season, we make it clear that Colter is still struggling with the lies his parents fed him and, in particular, his mother.”
Colter’s mother had long been on the front lines in trying to explain to Colter that there was something amiss with his father and had also pleaded with him not to dig any further. Of course, there’s absolutely no way that Colter will heed her words, knowing what he knows now, something that Reid teases will be a big part of the Season 3 premiere.
“We pose several questions in the season opener that will reverberate throughout the season. It’s not just who killed his father — something we revealed in the finale — but what drove his father to ‘lose it’ — what dark forces were at play that pushed Colter’s mother to come to the conclusion that she felt she had to leave him to save the kids and her own sanity. Colter will put the pieces of that together this season."
To “put the pieces” of his childhood together, we wondered if some flashback sequences were to be expected in the upcoming season. “We have discussed going back into Colter’s history via flashbacks,” Reid told us, “but haven’t yet found a satisfying way to do it.” Still, he promises that plenty of family trauma will be dredged in the next set of episodes, adding:
“However, that’s not to say we won’t address the past this season. Part of what makes Colter such a fun character to write is the amount of grief and unresolved family issues he bottles up. Justin plays this stuff so well, and it’s an ongoing conversation that I have with him about how to mete out pieces of Colter’s tortured past. It’s just very satisfying writing for Justin. As I’ve said before — so much of his character is not on the page — but moments Justin gives you a glimpse of some of what Colter is carrying around. Justin does a lot with very little, and I’ve learned to just let him go there and find the moments. But story wise, when we do give you a glimpse inside Colter, we try to make it impactful as well as giving the audience another small piece of what makes him tick.”
And, of the “dark forces” that he mentioned earlier in the interview, Reid elaborated: “Just a tease — but this season we will learn that Ashton and the Shaw family have some dark forces swirling around them, forces that may or may not be still active today."
The Return of Russell Shaw
Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw resting his hand on the shoulder of Jensen Ackles as Russell Shaw in Tracker.
Previously stealing our hearts through his roles in Dark Angel, Supernatural, and The Boys, Tracker fans were absolutely delighted to see Ackles in another gritty role as a member of the Shaw family during the show’s first season. He’s sporadically returned in several episodes since, but with his schedule filling up thanks to his Prime Video projects, including Countdown, The Boys, and Vought Rising, we were keen to learn more about when to expect his Russell reprise on Tracker.
As helpful as ever, Reid said:
“Jensen addicts are gonna get a double dose of him this season. And I ain’t gonna make you wait for it. I love writing for Jensen and I think whenever he and Justin are on the screen it just works. He’s so busy I have to bargain with him to get him on the show. But I think he’s an important part of Colter’s story, and he’s able to give the audience another perspective on their childhood. Plus, the two of them together are a blast.”
An Ackles addict just like the rest of us, Reid added, “I’ll take all the Ackles I can get,” before cheekily signing off and leaving us hanging with “Spin-off ;).”
Tracker returns to CBS with its third season on October 19. Stay tuned to Collider for more to come from our Exclusive Preview event.
