It's been a few weeks since Tracker kicked off its fourth season, and the CBS drama is once again delivering the thrilling cases that made it a breakout hit. Justin Hartley's Colter Shaw is back in action, crisscrossing the country to track down missing persons and collect rewards. But while the show's core formula remains as reliable as ever, there's a growing problem lurking in the background: the supporting cast is being left in the dust.
Season 4 has spent several episodes on a painfully slow "office hunt" storyline, with Reenie Greene (Fiona Rene), Randy Davis (Chris Lee), and Mel Day (Cassady McClincy Zhang) searching for a new Denver headquarters. The arc finally wrapped in the fourth episode, "Purification," but the resolution only highlights how little the show knows what to do with these characters when they're not directly assisting Colter. Randy, the tech whiz, is essential—he's the digital keymaster who unlocks the leads Colter can't reach on his own. But Reenie and Mel are drifting, their subplots feeling like filler rather than meaningful additions.
The show has tried to consolidate its cast by pairing Randy and Reenie romantically, a smart move to streamline the ensemble. Yet simply putting them in the same room isn't enough. Reenie and Mel are currently tangled in a murder mystery that lacks momentum, making viewers yearn for Colter's next case whenever the action cuts back to the office. "Purification" offered a glimmer of hope—Mel spotted a crucial medical detail in a photo, and Reenie explained the legal implications—but it's a one-off solution, not a sustainable model.
Past seasons have teased long-running subplots for Reenie, but they've often fizzled out or ended in episodes that feel disconnected from the main story, with Colter swooping in at the last minute to save the day. It's a pattern that leaves these B-plots feeling like chores, especially when they drag on for weeks. The Season 3 legal investigation that culminated in "Chain of Custody" is a prime example—convoluted and ultimately unsatisfying.
So what's the fix? Tracker needs to make a choice. Either it continues to trim the cast, as it did when it wrote off several original characters early in Season 3, or it finds a way to make Reenie, Randy, and Mel genuinely integral to Colter's world. In the early seasons, Reenie was more hands-on, occasionally meeting Colter in the field to offer legal advice or a second pair of eyes. While some of those team-ups stretched believability, they gave her character a purpose beyond phone calls and paperwork.
The show could easily bring back that dynamic, using Reenie's legal expertise to help Colter navigate tricky situations from afar. More Reenie isn't a bad thing—she just needs to be used in ways that feel organic and compelling. As for Mel, she's a character with untapped potential, but so far, the most interesting thing about her—her mysterious past, teased in "Switchback"—has been largely ignored. If the writers don't lean into that, she'll remain a wasted addition.
Ultimately, Tracker is still a must-watch for Colter's adventures, and the show's ratings prove it. But if CBS wants to keep its supporting cast around—and keep viewers invested in them—it's time to give these characters a meatier role. Otherwise, they'll continue to feel like afterthoughts in a show that's supposed to be an ensemble. For now, we're still tuning in for Colter, but the clock is ticking on the rest of the team.
Tracker airs Sundays on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount+. For more on the show's recent twists, check out our review of the latest episode.
