In a true shocker, “Tracker” will enter its second season sans one of the most important people in the cast. TVLine has exclusively revealed that Robin Weigert will be leaving the series, which means Teddi Bruin will no longer be a regular on the show. Yet Velma (Abby McEnany), Teddi’s wife, will be retained, in a choice that’s only going to make the second season of the show feel awkward — and leave Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) without one of his handlers. 

To be fair, the drama did set up Teddi’s exit during the Season 1 finale by pairing Velma up with Reenie (Fiona Rene), who quits her job as a lawyer for a new, mysterious project. But Teddi’s become such an important part of the landscape of Colter’s world that it’s absolutely impossible imagining Velma forging on without her. Sure, this might open up the door for Colter to get a different sort of handler, but is that what the show needs?

In reality, it’s quite likely to unbalance the show’s chemistry, the very thing that shot it to the top of the Nielsen charts as the No.1 new drama of the season. It’s a bad move for a show that doesn’t need any changeups as it approaches its second season. And it spells big-time trouble for fans who have come to enjoy the dynamic between its characters.

The worst part of this surprising exit is that it will have inevitable reverberations for Velma and Teddi’s marriage. They’ve been a stable and calming influence in Colter’s nomadic existence as he helps others and makes money tracking down missing individuals. But Velma and Teddi have also been a vital lifeline for Colter’s missions: they give him the information he needs to figure out where to go, who his clients are, and what happens next. Velma can very well operate alone, but there’s something unique about them acting as a tandem that adds extra personality to the show.

Sure, the couple have been backgrounded over the last few episodes of Season 1; the longer Colter is in the field, the less information he needs handed to him, because he already knows how to find the next piece of the puzzle he’s been putting together over the course of the series. But even the best shows tend to have an awkward time splitting a married couple up when one actor leaves and the other stays. While it’s possible Teddi might always be off on a mission, having Velma lose her or go through a divorce would be a tough plot twist for the show to handle this early in its lifespan.

We all know Colter Shaw can handle himself, but he definitely needs his friends in the field to ensure every case comes off without a hitch. He has Bobby Exley (Eric Graise) backing him up on technical matters, and Reenie assisting him with any legal snafus he might bump into. But it’s debatable whether he needs just one handler — and whether Velma can bail him out of prison or find him a new client as easily as she and Teddi could. There’s something about the chemistry Colter has with his entire team that makes shuffling the deck a nervy proposition, and one wonders if audiences will accept it.

Much of the show does balance itself around Colter’s field work, and the time spent away from him has to work hard to justify itself. But Teddi’s the one who keeps Colter in line a lot of the time, so losing her is like losing the brakes on a train. If Velma is the cheerleader, Bobby the skill, and Reenie the law, who’s the wise-but-well-prepared center of cool who knows everyone that knows everyone? 

The toughest part of the situation is that audiences have come to love Teddi. Just count the disappointed fans in TVLine’s comment section and you’ll see people who are roundly upset by the fact that the show couldn’t give Robin Weigert enough to do by the end of the season. Teddi is cool and fiery, and Weigert specializes in both, so to lose her this quickly in the show’s run is a failure on CBS’ part and the imagination of the show’s producers. To split up another queer onscreen couple, so soon after the cancellation of “NCIS: Hawai’i,” is also a bad move.

One never knows what might happen in the end; perhaps Teddi will be back for a guest spot or two while Weigert has time and she’s between other roles. In any event, it looks like “Tracker” will be shapeshifting as it grows — and that might be a bad thing or a good thing in the long run. Fans will have to hang in to find out if the end result is worth it to them. But even the continued promise of “Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles’ return as Colter’s brother isn’t worth losing a vital cornerstone of the show.