Tracker: Robin Weigert's Teddi Bruin Exit, Explained

When "Tracker" debuted on CBS in early 2024, many critics and viewers felt that the procedural hour-long arrived fully formed. Centered on the rugged exploits of Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley), a "rewardist" who bops around the United States seeking to help regular folks solve mysteries or resolve disputes, the show stuck to its familiar formula and let its stars, most notably Hartley, do the heavy lifting. Shaw's tracking gifts have been honed via his time as a rough-and-tumble survivalist, but he can't provide his services without the assistance of others. During the show's first season, Shaw's small orbit of teammates included two handlers, Teddi Bruin (Robin Weigert) and Velma Bruin (Abby McEnany), the brilliant hacker Bobby Exley (Eric Graise), and lawyer Reenie Greene (Fiona Rene). It was a fun team, and they all felt locked-in for the long haul — provided the ratings justified keeping the show on the air.

"Tracker" finished third overall in the Nielsen ratings after the conclusion of its first season, so CBS, perhaps on the cusp of an "NCIS"-esque cash cow, had to be in a don't-fix-what-ain't-broke mindset heading into the second season, right? Apparently not! We've yet to learn exactly why Robin Weigert, a phenomenally talented performer who's probably best known for her heartbreaking portrayal of Calamity Jane in "Deadwood," did not return for season 2 of "Tracker." Fortunately, the show knew we'd miss her, so the writers addressed her absence in a way that actually felt true to the character.

When "Tracker" season 2 kicked off, viewers were informed that Teddi and Velma had separated. According to Velma, the bone of contention was drama with Teddi's mother. Though details were vague, Teddi felt Velma was only complicating a messed up situation, and asked her to leave so she could focus on getting her mother "sorted." Showrunner Elwood Reid explained the situation to EW, saying "[Velma] and Teddy have separated. Velma is struggling with what it means to be abandoned in some ways, and she'll work her way through that emotion."

It sucks to view these decisions through the prism of network budgeting, but once CBS knew they had a runaway ratings hit with "Tracker," it's very possible they looked several seasons down the road and saw that they might wind up needing to make some tough decisions regarding the actors' salaries. We know long-running shows deal with these situations all the time, so it's conceivable that CBS was getting out in front of a predictable budgeting headache. And, on a practical level, they would've been right to conclude that Shaw didn't need two handlers and an attorney (even though the Weigert-McEnany chemistry was undeniable).

For now, "Tracker" has left the door open for Teddi to return, but if this was a money issue, I think you can forget about ever seeing Weigert on the show again. In any event, people seem to be digging the show despite her absence, so no matter how this went down, "Tracker" seems to be chugging along toward a long-haul network trek. At least we don't have to worry about Bobby dipping out. For now.