Tv crossovers have been a long-held custom. From Homicide, She Wrote and Magnum P.I. to Sleepy Hole and Bones, and extra lately Abbott Elementary and It is All the time Sunny in Philadelphia, crossovers have delivered a few of tv’s most enjoyable nights. There are many potential tv crossovers, however one which instantly involves thoughts for us is the potential of a crossover between Reacher and Tracker.
Reacher and Tracker are what the web likes to name “dad exhibits” — motion procedurals that observe a lead character with a sure set of expertise touring throughout the nation, entering into adventures. Each Reacher and Tracker are primarily based on books, with Reacher primarily based on the collection by Lee Baby and Tracker primarily based on Jefferey Deaver’s The By no means Recreation. Reacher is a streaming collection that usually runs eight-episode seasons with a single, lengthy arc for the season, whereas Tracker is a community collection that runs as much as 22 episodes per season with largely self-contained tales and a bigger plot unfolding within the background of every episode. Each collection appear tailored for a crossover, and right here is how they might, the mini-reunion it will make, and what’s holding these two collection again from interacting.
Related Heroes, Totally different Motivations in ‘Tracker’ and ‘Reacher’
The first cause for the crossover between Reacher and Tracker is the dynamic interaction between characters. Each Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) and Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) are males who go from city to city entering into adventures. Whereas Reacher has army coaching and appears to do good work out of the sense of ethical responsibility, Colter Shaw is motivated by money and makes use of his capacity to trace down suspects or lacking individuals in trade for reward cash. These are two characters with totally different ethical working rules, which might make for an fascinating conflict.
The very best setup for a crossover could be for Jack Reacher to seem in a single episode of Tracker in Season 3. Given that every episode of Tracker may be loved by itself, it permits Jack Reacher to indicate up for one look with out breaking apart the principle stream of the collection. It might be tougher for Colter Shaw to be launched in a single episode of Reacher‘s extra streamlined season run after which disappear after only one episode, by no means to be referenced or seen once more. This avoids altering a Jack Reacher ebook to suit Colter Shaw in, whereas permitting the Tracker writers to craft an authentic story with Jack Reacher.
The plain setup is for Jack Reacher and Colter Shaw to cross paths whereas working the identical case. It appears possible since each males are recognized to journey the nation, so it would not be out of the query for them to satisfy. An fascinating dynamic could be if Colter Shaw is shipped to trace down Jack Reacher, just for the 2 males to place apart their variations and crew up towards a bigger foe, presumably one who has been manipulating them.
A ‘Smallville’ Reunion
Doing a Reacher and Tracker crossover not solely places two of the largest tv exhibits on the air collectively, but additionally opens the door for a Smallville reunion. Reacher star Alan Ritchson beforehand performed Arthur Curry/Aquaman on Smallville, whereas Tracker‘s Justin Hartley performed Oliver Queen/Inexperienced Arrow. The 2 even appeared collectively on-screen in a number of episodes, most notably within the Season 6 episode “Justice,” the place they had been a part of the collection’ model of the Justice League.
In one other twist, Hartley was forged as Arthur Curry in a failed Aquaman pilot for The CW, greenlit after the huge rankings success of the Aquaman episode in Smallville. Nonetheless, Ritchson was not thought of for the position of Aquaman because the collection wasn’t thought of a Smallville spin-off. Though Aquaman was not picked up, Hartley was forged as Inexperienced Arrow for Smallville Season 6, becoming a member of the Aquaman actor he was initially employed to interchange.
Given the Smallville connection, Reacher ought to deliver again one other actor who appeared in each collection: Serinda Swan. Swan appeared in Season 2 of Reacher as Karla Dixon, a forensic accountant who labored alongside Jack Reacher. Swan additionally performed Zatanna in a number of episodes of Smallville. Although she didn’t share any scenes with Ritchson, she had a number of episodes alongside Hartley’s Inexperienced Arrow, making her look on Tracker a extra significant reunion.
This additionally means the crossover episode between Reacher and Tracker has the potential for a serious little bit of stunt casting by way of the episode’s villain. A possible path may very well be Superman himself, Tom Welling. The opposite could be Michael Rosenbaum, who performed Lex Luthor on Smallville and, on the collection, had come into battle with each Ritchson’s Aquaman and Hartley’s Inexperienced Arrow. Rosenbaum additionally seems to have a great working relationship with the Reacher and Tracker star, as each have appeared on his podcast, Inside You. A Reacher and Tracker crossover may very well be a lot greater than only a crossover, however a stealth reunion for the collection that redefined Superman for the twenty first century.
The Largest Impediment Forward of a ‘Reacher’ and ‘Tracker’ Crossover
Whereas the thought of a Reacher and Tracker crossover appears apparent, essentially the most vital issue working towards the 2 is the truth that they’re on competing networks and produced by totally different corporations. Reacher is a Prime Video collection, whereas Tracker airs on CBS. Now CBS is a division of Paramount Skydance Company, the identical studio that produces Reacher, however Paramount would not really produce Tracker; as a substitute, it’s produced by twentieth Century Tv.
Lots of the different wild crossovers are inclined to share comparable mother or father corporations. For as on the market because the Bones/Sleepy Hole crossover sounded, each collection aired on Fox, so it was straightforward to make it occur. Though Abbott Elementary and It is All the time Sunny in Philadelphia air on totally different networks — ABC and FX, respectively — each collection are produced by twentieth Century Tv and owned by The Walt Disney Firm. The CBS broadcast of Tracker and Paramount Skydance’s manufacturing credit score for Reacher are the largest elements that might work in favor of the collection crossing over. Nonetheless, additionally they require negotiations between Prime Video and twentieth Century Tv.
This little bit of company possession is perhaps what retains Tracker and Reacher from crossing over. Tracker may theoretically cross over with different CBS collection like Elsbeth, Watson, and even Ghosts. In the meantime, Reacher may deliver again John Krasinski as Jack Ryan and function a crossover with the concluded Prime Video collection. Although neither one sounds as thrilling as a crossover between Tracker and Reacher, with the 2 equally expert however very totally different heroes, Colter Shaw and Jack Reacher, lastly coming head to head. We are able to nonetheless at all times hope that sometime, it would occur.