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It's been a few months since Tracker concluded its pulse-pounding third season, providing Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) with some closure regarding his father's murder all those years ago. But with the conclusion of the Ashton Shaw (Lee Tergesen) mystery and the departure of his brother Russell (Jensen Ackles) for the time being, it feels like, in some ways, Tracker's main narrative has come to a close. The mystery we've been meditating on since the pilot has been solved, which leads us to wonder: What is Colter Shaw going to do next?
'Tracker' Just Solved Its Biggest Mystery — So Where Does It Go From Here?
At the tail end of the Season 3 finale, "The Best Ones," we discover that Colter has an "off the books" home somewhere in the Pacific Northwest that basically nobody knows about. Well, except for John Keaton (Brent Sexton), who hauls Ashton's old truck up from Echo Ridge so that the famed rewardist can put the pieces back together. As they ponder their own messy family histories, Colter expresses his dissatisfaction with the truth surrounding his father's death. Nevertheless, he has found peace with the fact that Ashton was trying to do the right thing by leaving the Chrono Stasis Institute behind — even if his increasing paranoia cost him his life. With seemingly no intention of pursuing the Chrono Stasis folks any further — and Russell making the sacrifice play by keeping the government off his brother's back — Tracker is going to have to change its direction if it wants to keep viewers guessing as to where Colter will go next.
Since the series began, Tracker has meditated on the complicated relationship that Colter had with his father. Sometimes he recalls the survival instincts and skills Ashton taught him with a grateful demeanor, but other times he wrestles with the harshness of his somewhat traumatic upbringing. Either way, this mystery has been baked into the Tracker formula from the very beginning, and with the show now concluding such a vital element of its run thus far, something must take its place in order for it to continue to thrive as it has. Season 2 famously spent much of its first half investigating the disappearance of Gina Picket (Lina Lecompte), while the two-part third season opener, "The Process," launched a multi-episode mystery with future potential. While we don't have a clear direction yet for what new thread Colter will unravel, there are already some impending changes coming to Season 4 fans should look out for.
Colter Shaw Needs Some New Material for 'Tracker' Season 4
When it comes to the sort of cases that Colter Shaw will devote himself to in Season 4, we can (at least on some level) expect more of the same. No doubt, the Tracker formula won't be shifting between seasons, and our favorite reward-seeking hero will still be making his way around the country to find himself in the middle of new and thrilling cases. That said, there are some things about the CBS procedural that will be changing — quite noticeably, in fact. Trading in the north-west feel of Vancouver for sunny Los Angeles, Tracker is officially moving production for its fourth season. This change-up came at just the right time as the Shaws sold off Echo Ridge and have officially cut ties with the story geographically tying them there.
Tracker has always found new ways to keep Colter's latest cases fresh and engaging, between introducing new characters, raising the stakes with multipart stories, and offering a mixture of deeply personal and action-packed adventures. To expect anything less at this point would be silly, especially in the wake of how well-balanced the third season was in this regard. So long as there's a new long-term thread for Colter to follow, Tracker will be back in business this fall.
Tracker is available for streaming on Paramount+.
