Stream It Or Skip It?
Every week here at Decider, there’s a post that is entitled either “Is Tracker New Tonight?” or “What Time Is Tracker On Tonight?” Even during the long summer of reruns, we had a post about Tracker. Why? Because it was the #1 show on TV last season, and seems to be picking up more fans as it goes into its third season.
TRACKER SEASON 3: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: “Garrett, Wyoming.” Outside a dive bar, we see the feet of someone walking up to the Airstream belonging to Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) and looking inside.
🎬 Get Free Netflix Logins
Claim your free working Netflix accounts for streaming in HD! Limited slots available for active users only.
- No subscription required
- Works on mobile, PC & smart TV
- Updated login details daily
The Gist: Colter is inside; he’s been in the area trying to sort out the new information he learned about his father’s death two decades prior; the man who ultimately pushed his father off the cliff was sent there by his mother Mary (Wendy Crewson).
As he’s having some beers, an obnoxious customer treats the bartender like garbage, and Colter confronts him. As the fight ensues, Colter punches someone who turns out to be his brother Russell (Jensen Ackles).
Russell was sent by Reenie Greene (Fiona Rene) because Colter wasn’t answering her phone calls checking in on him. Colter tells his brother what he found out about their father’s death, and they have one of the most heartfelt discussions they’ve ever had. Russell seems to want to “call it” and move on, but it seems that Colter wants to find out more.
But first, Russ gets in touch with Reenie, who has Randy (Chris Lee) in her office to try to tighten up her IT security after a breach. Reenie, after telling Colter that she was worried about him, she has a job for him — and Russell, who seems to be between gigs at the moment.
A client of hers, Cal Rogers (Brandon Keener) is concerned because his ex-wife Jules (Jules Willcox) and their teenage daughter are missing. At first, it seems that the ex’s boyfriend’s sketchy background might have had something to do with it, but when Colter and Russell break into the ex’s house (Russ breaks the window before Colter gets his lock picking kit out), they find the boyfriend dead, with his hand cut off.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Tracker is a pretty typical CBS procedural like Matlock, with a continuing arc surrounding cases of the week.
Our Take: Given how complex the case Colter faces in the two-part Season 3 premiere of Tracker, it’ll be interesting to see what showrunner Elwood Reid and his writers has in store for him going forward. Yes, Colter and Russell are essentially doing the same thing Colter has always been doing, which is finding people who go missing. But when they run into this mysterious system called “The Process,” where ordinary people are told to perform heinous acts or their secrets will get exposed, it goes way beyond just finding one missing person.
We will say, though, that Reid and company perhaps missed the boat with the story potential of The Process. That could have been a season-long arc, but it seems, at least on the surface, to be limited to the two-part premiere. Our guess is that Colter trying to find out more about his mother’s involvement in his father’s death, and confronting her about it, will be the continuing story of the third season, which connects well with Hartley’s innate ability to show deep emotions while doing his job.
With the departure of Abby McEnany’s Velma and Eric Graise’s Bobby, the whole infrastructure surrounding Colter’s work finally makes sense. Reenie is the one who not only provides him with the leads, but she will also interact with him wherever the job takes him. It won’t just be her talking to him on the phone from her Denver office in every episode. As much as we liked McEnany, Velma’s character made less sense without Robin Weigert’s Teddi, who left after Season 1. And it seems that Bobby’s role in the investigations, as the all-knowing hacker guy will just be done by Randy (more on that below).
Sex and Skin: None.
Parting Shot: At the end of the first part of the two-parter, Colter and Russell realize that The Process is much more complex than they realized.
Sleeper Star: We like Chris Lee as Randy, however….
Most Pilot-y Line: We’re a little tired of the hacker who can get into everything, which seems to be a standard role in modern procedurals. There isn’t a device Randy can’t break into, an encryption scheme he doesn’t know about or a part of the dark web he can’t trace back to a real person. Believe us, it doesn’t work like that in real life.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Tracker has streamlined its storytelling once again in Season 3, and the show is better for it. What we hope is that Colter gets more complex cases like the one that involved The Process, while he tries to figure out how to confront his mother about his father’s death.
How To Watch Tracker
Paramount+ offers two subscription plans. The ad-supported Essential plan costs $7.99/month, while the ad-free Premium plan (which comes with Showtime and live CBS) costs $12.99/month. New subscribers can take advantage of a seven-day free trial.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
Let’s be honest—no matter how stressful the day gets, a good viral video can instantly lift your mood. Whether it’s a funny pet doing something silly, a heartwarming moment between strangers, or a wild dance challenge, viral videos are what keep the internet fun and alive.