After premiering in the coveted post-Super Bowl slot earlier this year, Tracker became a major hit for CBS. The Justin Hartley procedural drama had been doing nothing but gaining traction heading into Sunday night’s Season 2 premiere, but there was one tiny hiccup for the cast on the road to its return. News broke over the summer that Robin Weigert, one of the few series regulars on Tracker in its first season (and the most seasoned TV veteran on the cast), wouldn’t be coming back for Season 2.
Throughout the first season of Tracker, Weigert played Teddi Bruin, one of the handlers and close friends of Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley). She operated as one half of a duo alongside her wife, Velma (Abby McEnany), bringing new jobs and information to Colter when possible.
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Part of what made the news of Weigert’s exit so strange was the fact that McEnany was staying on a series regular, so Velma would be operating in Season 2 without Teddi. Keeping Velma around requires a more in-depth explanation regarding the character’s absence, and Tracker delivered one such explanation during Sunday night’s Season 2 premiere.
Early on in the premiere, Velma calls Colter with a new job, prompting him to ask how Teddi is doing. Velma alludes to the fact that Teddi is staying with her mother, taking care of her through some kind of health or family issue. She also hints at that situation potentially straining their relationship.
“She’s going to be there for a while. She’s helping her mom get sorted,” Velma tells Colter. When asked about her potentially going back and forth, Velma adds, “I was…getting in the way, you might say. It really wasn’t good so I came back.”
What’s nice about this approach, at least to fans of Teddi, is that it leaves the door open for Weigert’s character to return at any point and fit right back into the story. In the meantime, Velma isn’t left totally on her own. She spends the premiere in Chicago with Reenie (Fiona Rene), setting up her new firm’s office. Keeping those two together for at least a chunk of the season keeps some of the bigger supporting characters on Tracker involved in one another’s stories. It also keeps them from simply existing as characters on Colter’s phone and laptop, opening up more narrative options for everyone involved.
To this point, there has been no word as to whether or not there are future plans for Weigert to return to the cast.
