Monster: The Ed Gein Story Casts Tracker Alum Following Multiple Departures
Tracker enthusiasts grappling with the news of Justin Hartley‘s show experiencing multiple cast departures will be thrilled to spot one of the former stars in Monster: The Ed Gein Story.
In season 3 of Ryan Murphy‘s anthology series, which debuted on Friday, October 3, Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam) is in a relationship with Adeline Watkins (Suzanna Son), despite his mother Enid Watkins (Robin Weigert) disapproving of their romance. As the story unfolds, Enid reminisces about throwing herself down the stairs several times during her pregnancy, as she didn’t want to give birth to Adeline.
CBS viewers might recognize Weigert from her role as Teddi. The network enjoyed immediate success with Tracker after it premiered in February 2024, achieving record-breaking ratings. Audiences have continued to tune in weekly to follow fictional survivalist Colter (Hartley) as he travels across the country to assist in solving various missing persons cases.
As Colter’s journey unfolds, the cast has expanded with characters like handlers Teddi (Weigert) and Velma (Abby McEnany), hacker Bobby (Eric Graise), and attorney Reenie (Fiona Rene).
After joining Tracker in season 1, Weigert’s character was removed in the premiere when her wife, Velma, acknowledged that they needed space. Velma then collaborated with Reenie, and Teddi was left unmentioned in season 2.
“[Teddi] is going to be there for a while. She is helping her mom get sorted. I was getting in the way, so it really wasn’t good,” Velma explained at the start of season 2. “So I came back. Don’t worry, because I’m keeping busy.”
Concerns over the show’s main characters persisted when Graise notably missed six episodes. His cousin Randy (Chris Lee) was introduced to assist Colter before Bobby returned, which upset viewers who were accustomed to seeing Graise regularly.
Before the launch of season 3, it was revealed that Graise and McEnany would not be returning — at least for the moment.
“I believe it’s evolving. If I can’t develop those characters — Randy or Reenie or Bobby — they’re not just people who pick up the phone and say, ‘OK, here’s the answer.’ That’s when the show feels like it’s phoning it in,” executive producer Elwood Reid shared exclusively with Us Weekly in May. “The challenge lies in getting to know them, which I found interesting. The challenge of the show is avoiding a formula.”
Reid mentioned that they aimed to keep Tracker from “falling into complacency.”
“The only rule I enforce for the show is that each week Colter will arrive in a new location and tackle a new case. How he arrives at those answers and what he utilizes from the team is always open for interpretation,” Reid hinted. “Interacting with these [local] quirky characters is something we hope to explore more as the season progresses. It’s exciting to see Justin showcase his abilities alongside talented guest actors.”
Monster is now available for streaming on Netflix. Tracker is set to return to CBS on Sunday, October 19, at 8 p.m. ET, with episodes available for streaming on Paramount+ the following day.
