Tracker Season 3 needs to tone it down — The serial killers and gore are getting out of hand

CBS' Tracker was marketed as an original, gritty, and witty procedural about a lone wolf, traveling from town to town and finding missing people.

Fans fell in love with Justin Hartley's Colter Shaw because he was unlike any procedural hero and relied on his wits (and a bit of luck) rather than violence to solve the unique cases of the week.

However, Tracker Season 2 was much darker and had a high body count than the previous season, without any apparent reason or aiding the plot.

In addition to the high body count of the sophomore season, many episodes featured violent serial killers, with Colter even coming across a headless corpse and a severed head.

While gore and violence make a show more intense and engaging, Tracker was never that kind of show to begin with. Season 2 felt like a different show altogether, and it's high time that the procedural taps into its authenticity in Season 3.

More on this in our story.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Readers’ discretion is advised.

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Tracker Season 2 felt much darker and derailed from the main premise

The CBS procedural had a unique premise, which set it apart from its predecessors, but the sophomore season seems to be tapping too much into the American zeitgeist and their obsession with true crime.

Season 2 had at least 5 episodes focusing on the paranormal, featuring weird aliens, government conspiracies, and urban legends.

In addition to Tracker Season 2 Episode 'Monster,' which featured disfigured bodies, the season also had an episode where two girls vanished while investigating a local folklore.

While Tracker started carving its own niche, the influence of shows like Supernatural and The X-Files was visible in Season 2. In the process of mimicking these shows, the CBS procedural became like everything else on television, losing its unique charm.

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Fan reactions to Tracker Season 2 suggest Season 3 needs to tone it down

While the Tracker Season 1 finale's average viewership of 8.29 million decreased considerably to 7.9 million, the procedural's future is still bright.

However, it's high time that the makers take this viewership dip as a sign and tone down the violence and gore in Season 3, letting Colter's wit take the centre stage.

In addition, Season 2 was trying too hard to give in to this true crime obsession, which fans are clearly not liking, as Reddit user u/solohack3r commented:

''The original marketing for season 1 billed it as a realistic show. Now it's really went off the deep end with aliens, witches, and conspiracies. At first I thought it was at least something different from other shows, but that has faded because of how bad the writing is.''

While supernatural elements are always welcome and have been a hit on the small screen, Tracker is not the show the audience expects to find them in, and Season 3 must resort to its roots.

In addition to the supernatural and weird stuff, Colter was a nuanced character who used his survival skills and instinct to solve cases, which felt different in Season 2, as Reddit user u/cordialmanikin commented:

''In season 1 it seemed like he was using a lot of nifty tracking and survival skills he learned over the years...This season he's doing a lot more racing around...with more fighting and killing...I guess he seemed more.... intelligent ? Nuanced? last season.''

Looking at these fan comments, Season 3 needs to up its game and return to the amazing storyline it began with in Season 1.

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