Tracker Family Reunion: Melissa Roxburgh Makes Her Debut as Colter’s Sister Dory in Exclusive Sneak Peek
Colter Shaw is just as eager as the Tracker audience for answers involving his late father. Is CBS‘ freshman hit about to deliver?
TVLine has an exclusive sneak peek from Episode 11 (airing Sunday at 9/8c), which introduces Manifest vet Melissa Roxburgh as Colter’s younger sister, Dr. Dory Shaw. Once reunited, Colter presents Dory with newfound information about Dad – specifically that the former Berkeley professor was employed as a government contractor for seven years. Colter thinks it’s odd that Mom never told them about it, but Dory… well, she’d prefer not to think about it at all. And she thinks it’d do her brother a world of good if he’d just do the same.
Flashbacks in Tracker’s Feb. 11 premiere revealed that Colter and his siblings — Dory and Russell — had an unusual upbringing. Their parents, Ashton and Mary (played by Oz’s Lee Tergesen and Good Sam’s Wendy Crewson), “were professors at Berkeley until there was this incident with my dad,” Colter explained. “So, he took us to live off the grid at this cabin. It was a compound, actually, by Sierra National Forest,” where Dad “started to talk about these people that were out to get him and how we all had to be prepared. He taught us how to track, how to hunt, and he taught us to free climb at this place called Devil’s Notch.”
One night in 2003, when Mary wasn’t home, Ashton’s paranoia got the best of him and he made a run for it, leaving his three children behind. Russell went after him, and an hour later, Colter found his father, dead, at the bottom of Devil’s Notch. It appeared as though he’d been pushed by Russell.
In the present day, Russell has attempted to make contact with Colter. There’s supposedly something Colter “needs to know.” However, Mary — who has not been seen since Episode 2 — wanted Colter to disregard his brother’s pleas.
Colter’s reunion with Dory — which comes a week ahead of his reunion with Russell (to be played by Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles) — is ultimately tied to his latest job. “When a grad student goes missing after a house party, his friends and family believe he buckled under the pressure of his research grant. But, after consulting with his Dory Shaw, a professor at the school, Colter discovers a trail of explicit photos and messages that lead him to uncover a dangerous (and deadly) conspiracy on campus,” according to the official synopsis.
Tracker was previously renewed for Season 2. New episodes air Sundays at 9/8c on CBS (and stream next day on Paramount+); its Season 1 finale airs May 19.
Watch a scene from Melissa Roxburgh’s Tracker stint, then hit the comments and tell us if you’re looking forward to the episode.
Given this casting, it is obvious that they are trying to set up some sort of spinoff(s) for Tracker. I think Equalizer is on the downslope, just because of the age of the stars and their high cost (it is a physically demanding show, and the cast has money already). It is at 56 eps as of the end of this year. If they crank out 36 eps (two more 18 ep seasons, the most eps the show has done in a season) then the show will reach 92 eps, more than enough for a solid run in syndication. It could easily go more and longer, I just don’t think the stars are all that eager to do so.
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But CBS has to be staring at Tracker and envisioning a Sunday night, or even a Monday or Wednesday, that has 2-3 hours of Tracker-verse shows. In their minds, they see 400ish eps across 2-3 shows (closer to 275 if only 2 spinoffs), and around 3+ billion in earnings over 15ish years.
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Tracker is a giant hit. It can be ripe for spinoffs. Hartley’s wife’s character would be great in a more urban setting. I suspect the Bro and Sis might work in an international capacity, or that they’ll be gov contractors like Daddy.
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But CBS is going to strip mine this show.
Love the show.its very refreshing.