Why Did Eric Graise Leave ‘Tracker’? How ‘Tracker’ Season 3 Wrote Off Bobby

Tracker is officially back with its highly-anticipated Season 3 premiere, but longtime fans of CBS’s hit survivalist drama will notice some major cast changes in this new batch of episodes…

When Tracker returned for its sophomore season, fans were surprised to learn that Robin Weigert, who played Teddi in Season 1, was written off the show. Now, in Season 3, several more cast members and characters are departing: Abby McEnany’s Velma and Eric Graise’s Bobby.

Both character exits are explained during Tracker‘s Season 3 premiere, “The Process,” which airs Sunday, October 19 on CBS and streams the following day on Paramount+. But if you’re eager to learn how the show wrote off Bobby before you watch or are looking for additional information on Graise’s real-life departure from the series, we’ve got some insights.

Why did Eric Graise leave Tracker? How did Tracker write Bobby Exley off the show in Season 3? Who else left Tracker‘s cast? And could Eric Graise/Bobby ever return to Tracker? Here’s what to know about Graise and Bobby’s absence in Tracker Season 3.

Why Did Eric Graise Leave Tracker?

Since original cast member Eric Graise was introduced in Tracker Season 1 as Bobby Exley, Colter’s go-to tech support who possessed crucial skills needed to help the survivalist lead track down missing people, fans were shocked to learn about to cast shakeup. So why did Eric Graise leave the show? Following the introduction of Bobby’s cousin, Randy (Chris Lee), fans noticed that Bobby was absent from the series for a substantial chunk of Season 2.

There was talk of “family issues” and Bobby attending a close friend’s funeral that hit him hard. But when Randy said, “He will get back to it — and if he doesn’t then I will make sure he does. No way out but through,” fans had hope that Bobby could return one day soon. So what happened? While we may never know the full behind-the-scenes series of events that led to Graise exiting the show ahead of Season 3, in July 2025, TVLine reported that series regulars Graise and McEnany had departed the series.

Though Graise hasn’t publicly spoken out on his departure yet to our knowledge, back in May, Tracker‘s showrunner Elwood Reid told UsWeekly, “I don’t want the show to be phone-a-friend every week. I think that gets old, and Justin is always challenging me on that. He’s like, ‘Do we need to do this? Do I need to call Bobby all the time? Can I do this?’ You don’t [always] see Reenie. He talks to Velma for two seconds. He may talk to Bobby for one phone call. The show works because you are over Justin’s shoulder.”

Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS via Getty Images

In a September 2025 interview with TVLine, Reid offered additional insight into the cast departures, saying, “We didn’t ‘replace’ Velma or Bobby. It’s about where I get the most creative juice. What happened with Randy last year was that he popped in these little pieces with Fiona, and I thought, ‘He makes Fiona better. What if they were in the same space every week?’ And now, with more characters in the office, we can tell other stories and build out what her world looks like when she’s not helping Colter.”

“Bobby felt very nestled into his place, whereas Randy’s been casting about,” Reid continued. “Without giving too much away, in the wake of [what happened with] Reenie — having had that breach at her company with Sharp, her being kidnapped and taken, and her boyfriend being shot — she’s in a fragile, somewhat dark place, although she’s trying to mask it. One of the things that she does is she brings Randy out to get her security up to snuff. That sparks a conversation about him perhaps sticking around and working out of her office — both with Colter and helping her with her law practice.”

Sp in addition to freeing Colter up a bit, it sounds like the decision to remove Velma and Bobby was also made to help deepen Rene’s character in Season 3. “Having Chris Lee in the same space that Fiona Rene is in just gets you [more]. The stuff we’ve seen so far is so much fun. It has made a huge difference,” Reid said. “Now, when Colter calls, it feels like he’s calling into something already in motion. This is all part of my ‘evil plan’ to use Fiona more — the more you can build out her world, the more the show benefits.”

Why Did Bobby Leave Tracker? How Tracker Season 3 Wrote Bobby Off The Show:

So how did Tracker explain Bobby’s departure in the show? Around 13 minutes into Season 3, Episode 1, “The Process,” Reenie and Randy have a quick catch-up with each other in her office, during which Randy gets a text from Bobby that reads, “Thx. Miss u 2. Tell the gang I say hi.”

When Reenie asks how he’s doing, Randy explains, “He’s killing it. He quit his job officially at the repair shop and now he’s some encryption specialist at a new startup. Between the stock options and the salary, he’s bringing home the bacon.”

As for Velma’s departure, several seconds before Tracker breaks down Bobby’s whereabouts, Randy asks Reenie for an extension cord and she says, “I don’t know where any of that is, Velma does.” When Randy asks when Velma is getting back, Reenie replies, “Honestly? I have no idea. She went to go see Teddi. She’s trying to save her marriage.”

Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS

Is Bobby Gone For Good? Is Eric Graise Returning To Tracker One Day?

Curious if Bobby and Graise (and Velma/McEnany) are gone for good or they could make a triumphant Tracker return in the future? In a September 2025 interview with TV Insider, Reid said, “There’s a possibility, but right now, in this first block, no.”

In other words, never say never! But don’t get your hopes up ahead of Season 3. Instead, prepare to see more of Reenie and Randy’s storylines as the two develop a new dynamic in Bobby and Velma’s absence.

New episodes of Tracker Season 3 premiere Sundays on CBS with next-day streaming on Paramount+.