Tracker first premiered following the Super Bowl, and the action drama has captivated viewers since. Doing a complete 180 from his role as Kevin Pearson in This is Us, Justin Hartley’s character Colter Shaw is a fierce, loner survivalist who travels the country finding missing persons and solving cases for reward money.
Now in its second season, which premiered Oct. 13, 2024, the show, like many others, went on hiatus in early December for the holidays. But now that it’s full swing into 2025, fans are curious when they can start watching again, especially after that cliffhanger season two, part one ending.
When Does Tracker Return?
Tracker returns after a 2.5-month break on February 16, 2025. The episode will be the ninth in the season and the 22nd overall. While the first season of Tracker only had 13 episodes, fans will be delighted to know that Season 2 has been expanded to a total of 22 episodes, making it almost twice as long. Thus, the second half will include another 14 episodes to come over the next several months. This means Tracker season two will run well into the remainder of the winter.
Tracker, which is based on the novel The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver, airs on CBS but also streams on Paramount+. Currently, the first season of Tracker is also available to stream on Hulu for those who want to catch up before diving into Season 2.
Everything We Know About Tracker Season 2
Like other procedurals, Tracker sees a new case every episode, with generally no connection to others. In fact, in each episode, Colter travels to a new state, town, or county altogether. However, there are some storylines that link the episodes together, including the mystery of Colter’s dad’s death and his interactions with certain people.
The main characters include Colter’s handlers Teddi (Robin Weigert) and Velma (Abby McEnany), hacker Bobby (Eric Graise), and attorney and friend Reenie (Fiona Rene). Then, there’s Colter’s brother Russell (Jensen Ackles), sister Dory (Melissa Roxburgh), and former rival turned friend Billie, played by Hartley’s real-life wife Sofia Pernas. There are a few other recurring characters. Some of these will play into the second part of Season 2 while one main cast member won’t be returning.
The first episode of the second half of Tracker Season 2 is titled “The Disciple” and there aren’t any details yet about its storyline. Like others, it will probably follow a singular case that Colter follows and likely solves by the end. But the episode will also need to dive into the recurring story that came to a head in the Fall finale.
One of the cases Colter has been working on for years, alongside the mystery of his father’s death that is explored in some of the best Season 1 episodes of Tracker, is that of the younger sister of an old friend and romantic interest named Camille (Floriana Lima). Gina Pickett went missing from a mall parking lot years earlier and Colter has always vowed to help Camille find out what happened at worst and find her missing sister at best. But he has always come up short and the case continues to haunt him.
In the Tracker fall finale, while looking into the disappearance of a man, Colter comes upon an organization set up to help people disappear, providing them with identities that cannot be traced. It’s ironically the antithesis of what Colter does.
After solving this twisted case, Colter receives a call from someone returning from a previous case: a retired police officer named Keaton (Brent Sexton). While searching for another missing person, Colter came across Keaton and the two hit it off. He told Keaton about this unsolved case that has haunted him and Keaton promised to use his resources to try and help. It would give him something to do in retirement, after all. With this call, Keaton reveals that he has actually unearthed something. He brings Colter to his basement where he is holding and clearly torturing a man named Alex who admits to knowing another man named Frank Whales who lured Gina Pickett to a farm. All he knows, he swears, is that the entire operation is run by a man known only as “The Teacher” who “plants things.” Now, Colter has a new suspect in his sights and a case bigger than any other to solve.
It’s a certainty that Colter will spend his time looking into The Teacher through at least the first few episodes of the second half of season two. That storyline could continue through the season as Colter simultaneously handles new cases of missing persons while digging deeper into discovering the identity of The Teacher. One thing seems plausible, however: Gina is likely still alive and being held captive.
What This Means for Colter
Solving the mystery could present a new love interest for Colter. It’s clear there was once a spark between Colter and Camille. However, the anguish she feels after losing her sister has weighed heavily on her. While Colter is generally a closed-off person, Camille has become as such as well. Thus, in the fall finale, she broke off the unofficial, casual romance between them, telling Colter it was just too difficult.
Seeing him was a constant reminder of her sister and she realized that after all this time, the chances of ever finding Gina were slim to none. So, she needed to move on. In order to do so successfully, she needed to cut ties entirely with Colter. It’s evident he was gutted by her decision but did his best not to let that show, even to himself.
However, getting that call from Keaton and learning there was a chance to find Gina was fantastic news for Colter for more than one reason. It meant finally solving a years-long case. It meant helping an innocent young woman. And it meant not losing Camille.
Of course, this says nothing about the even longer unsolved mystery in his life, the death of his father. But it’s entirely possible that the two cases are somehow linked, or solving one opens a door to the other. That might be a perfect way to set up a third season. While Tracker hasn’t yet been officially renewed for a Season 3, fans are hopeful it will be.
Who is Returning for Tracker Season 2’s Second Half?
Most main cast members will be returning for the second part of Season 2. Teddi, who hadn’t been seen at all in Season 2, will not return since Weigert has opted to leave the show. Thus, the storyline will focus on the growing friendship between Reenie and Velma in this new office space, the story suggesting that either Teddi is back at home or the pair have split up. Fans expect to see Reenie further make moves in growing her own legal firm, with the help of Velma.
Ackles will return as Russell, confirmed to have a bigger presence in Tracker Season 2. It’s unclear how frequently he will appear. He already appeared in one Season 2 episode and it has been noted that he will appear at least once more before the season is over.
At one point in Season 2, Colter calls his sister Dory after solving the case of a missing young woman with seemingly magical powers. She reminds him of Dory and it sparks his desire to call his sister. This suggests he may meet with her at some point soon and Roxburgh will reprise the role.
It’s likely Keaton will return as well to help Colter with the Gina Pickett case, especially if season two picks right up where it left off. While fans are used to seeing Colter work alone, he has teamed up with others in various cases. The chemistry with Keaton, the gruff, rough former cop, was a fan favorite that viewers would love to see again.
One other character that is confirmed to be coming back is Lizzy Hawking (Jennifer Morrison), an old childhood friend of Colter’s who revealed dark secrets about his parents’ past when he helped her with a missing persons case. She assumed he knew that her mother and his father were having an affair. She claimed to have found a box of his father’s belongings in her mother’s home following her passing that she gave to Dory. Colter knew nothing of this and was curious about what was in the box and why Dory never told him about it.
Morrison’s return will likely play further into the mystery of Colter’s father’s death and what he was doing that might have gotten him killed. Hartley told Deadline of Morrison late last year that “we have some pretty cool stuff for her to do next year. She’ll be back several times next year.” Additionally, Hartley added that there are plans to bring back his “whole family,” which will include his mother Mary Dove Shaw, played by Wendy Crewson.
Thus, expect plenty of excitement for the second part of Season 2 of Tracker when it returns just after Valentine’s Day 2025.
