Tracker Just Officially Replaced Colter’s Handlers

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The series centers on Colter Shaw, a skilled survivalist who travels the US taking on the challenge of finding missing people and collecting rewards. He’s supported by a small team who find cases for him and assist with his investigations.

It seems like Tracker loses a team member each season, and this season was no different. Last night’s episode saw Reenie and Randy take over as Colter’s support team, replacing Velma and Teddi after Abby McEnany left. While fans liked Velma and Teddi, Reenie and Randy are proving to be more helpful and skilled in their roles.

Teddi and Velma Were Colter Shaw’s Handlers in Tracker’s First Season

During the first season of Tracker, Colter received job opportunities thanks to Teddi and Velma. They also assisted him with his cases by using their network of contacts to gather information, helping him locate the people or things he was hired to find. In the first episode, Teddi and Velma also seemed to handle Colter’s finances, even putting money aside to maintain his truck. The couple ran their operation from their home, where they lived with several cute dogs.

Following the first season, Robin Weigert, who played Teddi, left the show. Her character was written out with the explanation that she was caring for her mother. In season two, Velma started working from Reenie’s office, suggesting she was giving Teddi space and hinting at problems in their marriage. Velma still helped Colter by providing job leads and client information, but she relied less on her own contacts for things like criminal records, vehicle registrations, and legal information, as Bobby and Reenie were now able to gather most of what Colter needed.

Velma and Teddi appeared in the book that inspired the TV show Tracker, Jeffery Deaver’s The Never Game, but they didn’t quite work as well on screen. Although the show’s creators haven’t given specific reasons for their departure, they wanted to focus on developing richer, more meaningful characters and storylines. According to Executive Producer and Showrunner Elwood Reid, they didn’t want characters whose only purpose was to be available when Colter needed to call. Ultimately, Velma and Teddi largely served that function during the first two seasons of the show.

The show only offered glimpses into the lives of Velma and Teddi, as the focus remained on Colter and each week’s mystery. We saw them at home in the first season, discovering they enjoyed dogs and trying out hobbies like pottery. Velma’s past was also hinted at, revealing she didn’t know her father and her mother spent time in an institution. Her older sister raised her, a history that shared some parallels with Colter’s own. Reenie pointed this out, suggesting Colter feels regret over not being able to help his sister, Dory, more.

I was really hoping they’d do more with Velma’s character, but it just didn’t pan out. I guess they couldn’t quite figure out how to make it fit naturally into the show, or maybe fans weren’t as interested in seeing more of her story compared to Reenie getting a bigger role. Whatever the reason, she’s been written off the show – she’s off trying to make things work with Teddi. The creator, Reid, has said she could come back someday, but honestly, after the latest episode of Tracker, Reenie and Randy are really clicking as Colter’s handlers. They just feel like a better fit right now.

Reenie and Randy Have Officially Replaced Teddi and Velma in Tracker’s Latest Episode

I’ve been hooked on Tracker since the beginning, and the start of season three has been great! It was cool seeing Colter team up with his brother, Russell, on a case Reenie brought their way. Reenie actually called Colter – a little rough after a Halloween party, I might add – to fill him in, and it felt like she was taking on more of a management role for him. Then the third episode made it official: Reenie’s now sharing that job with Randy! In “No Man’s Land,” Randy explained to the newbie, Melanie Day, how he finds these cases. He uses an algorithm to scan online reward postings, then filters them to find jobs close to where Colter is. It’s a really smart system for getting him work wherever he happens to be.

Teddi and Velma relied on online message boards and social media to find work. Randy, however, uses an automated system – his algorithm does the searching for Colter. This makes their jobs different because Randy and Reenie can now provide Colter with most of the information he needs directly. Previously, Teddi and Velma acted as intermediaries, contacting Reenie or other sources for assistance. With Reenie and Randy’s direct access, they’re now able to handle that part of the process more efficiently.

Viewers haven’t yet seen Reenie and Randy handle Colter’s equipment or finances, though they do offer some assistance. Colter is perfectly capable of managing those things himself, however. Velma previously helped manage Reenie’s law office, and we saw more of this in “First Fire” to better understand Reenie’s life outside of her relationship with Colter. While Velma is a likable character, her role became less necessary as the show progressed.

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2025-11-11 18:11