Tracker left fans stunned with its fall finale, and showrunner Elwood Reid is explaining the intense cliffhanger that has viewers counting down to March. The midseason finale of Tracker Season 3, which aired on December 14, ended with Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw fighting for his life after a fiery car crash. The episode, titled “Good Trouble,” concluded with a “To Be Continued” title card, leaving the fates of Colter and his ally, retired cop Keaton, completely unknown.
Showrunner Elwood Reid designed this dramatic pause to test his main character in the most extreme way possible. According to Reid, the best cliffhangers put beloved characters in terrible situations, not to question if they survive, but to see how they survive. The wait for answers will be a long one, as the show is now on a midseason break. Tracker Season 3 will return with new episodes, picking up right from the crash, on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 9:00 PM Eastern Time on CBS.
What Happened in the Tracker Season 3 Fall Finale?
The events leading to the crash began when Keaton, played by Brent Sexton, called Colter for a personal favor. Keaton’s old police partner had gone missing, pulling both men into a dark conspiracy involving bodies buried on a farm, crime bosses, and a contract killer named Emil Lang. While investigating, Keaton was shot by Lang.
A severely bleeding Keaton coughed up blood in the passenger seat as Colter desperately drove him to a hospital, pleading with him to stay alive. Before they could reach help, an unknown assailant fired shots at their vehicle. Colter lost control, and the car veered off the road, flipping over a ledge before the screen faded to black.
The final moments left two major questions: Is Keaton dead, and how will a potentially injured Colter save them both? Reid confirmed the situation is dire, stating that when the show returns, Colter is in “really bad shape” and is the only one who manages to crawl from the wreckage.
“What the best cliffhangers do is put the lead characters or people you care about in really bad situations,” Elwood Reid told Collider. “It’s about when they come out of it and how they get themselves out of it.”
Why The Showrunner Says This Cliffhanger Was Necessary
In multiple interviews, Reid has explained the creative reasoning behind ending the first part of the season on such a tense note. He emphasized that while Colter Shaw is a skilled survivalist, the network was clear from the start that he should not be a superhero. Putting him in a seemingly impossible situation reinforces his humanity and makes his eventual escape more satisfying.
“He screws up. He gets injured a lot. He meets people that somehow, sometimes get the best of him,” Reid said, noting that these vulnerabilities are what make the character compelling. The cliffhanger with Keaton amplifies the emotional stakes because Colter has a personal connection to him, having shared a dark and intense case in the past.
Reid also revealed that the writers initially planned for a different outcome for Keaton. “We went in there, we were going to kill him,” he admitted in an interview. However, they decided the uncertainty of a cliffhanger created a stronger story, especially since Colter himself was also seriously injured in the ordeal.
What to Expect When Tracker Returns in March 2026
The midseason premiere, Episode 10, will pick up the story moments after the crash. Reid has teased that Colter will perform a “heroic” act to get himself and Keaton out of immediate danger. However, survival is just the first of Colter’s new problems.
Colter will become a wanted man. Law enforcement will begin to connect him to multiple crime scenes, leading some to suspect he is working with the killer. Injured and on the run, he will need to call on his trusted allies for help.
Beyond resolving the crash, the second half of Season 3 will delve deeper into the ongoing mysteries surrounding Colter’s family. Reid confirmed that Colter will finally have a long-awaited conversation with his mother and will learn more about the secrets of his father’s past.
The show will also continue developing stories for the supporting cast. Reenie Greene will take on a new, dangerous case with a mysterious client, and fan-favorite characters like the true crime podcasters may make another appearance.
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The Long Wait for New Episodes
For fans eager for answers, the break will last nearly three months. The scheduling shift also means a permanent time slot change for the series. When Tracker returns on March 1, it will air at 9:00 PM ET, moving from its previous 8:00 PM slot. This change is due to the new Yellowstone spin-off series, Y: Marshals, taking over the earlier time period.
Until then, the first nine episodes of the season are available to stream on Paramount+.
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