Tracy Spiridakos is once again dominating our TV screens.
The transition from a Chicago P.D. Intelligence Unit detective to a national park ranger isn’t as jarring as it might seem, as many of Hailey Upton’s no-nonsense traits carry over seamlessly into Anna Pigeon, a park ranger with a penchant for solving crimes. The premiere does a strong job introducing not just Anna’s new life, but who she is at her core—her instincts, skills, and values—set against a striking natural backdrop.
But even before her story fully unfolds, there’s a sense of familiarity. You feel like you already know Anna because she’s cut from the same cloth as Hailey.
However, I don’t want to box Anna in before she’s even gotten off the ground, so I’ll do my best to taper the Chicago P.D. talk (though, I’m just saying, if they told me this was Hailey’s new gig, I wouldn’t question it in the slightest).
Based on Nevada Barr’s New York Times bestselling novels, the USA Network series follows Anna’s adventures, as we learn she’s a former New York City theater stage manager who became a park ranger following the devastating loss of her husband, Zach.
Anna is clearly haunted by her demons, which include whatever happened to Zach, as she’s living like she’s “on the run,” according to her FBI friend, never staying in one place or in one gig too long.
Little is known about Zach, for now, though Anna’s day from hell investigating her friend Shiela’s death just so happens to take place on what would’ve been Zach’s 40th birthday.
I imagine that the cause of his death—as we can likely rule out natural causes, as special agent Frederick is seen looking into Zach’s possible murder in the final minutes of the episode—is something the series will tap into as the season progresses.
Also, not to be that person, but there’s definitely going to be a romantic relationship between Anna and Frederick at some point, right? She’s a widow, he’s going through a divorce, and they both rely on each other several times throughout the premiere. Just saying.
Zach’s death would also explain Anna’s desire to solve every murder case, get justice wherever she can, and hold everyone accountable.
The premiere episode, titled “Track the Cat,” also introduces its main villain, and while he doesn’t have a twirly mustache, he fits the mold as the kind of man who immediately makes you cringe, fueled by his greed, wealth and power.
Jeremiah, the biggest land owner in Montana, somehow knows who Anna Pigeon is before he even crosses paths with her, which could mean one of two things—he knows she’ll be an issue moving forward, or he’s somehow involved in what happened to her husband. I’d like to believe the latter.
And before I continue, I have not read the books, so I do not know what happens.
Jeremiah is also the kind of protected person that you need to catch in the act, which will be much harder said than done, considering his wealth of resources. Money talks, and he clearly had park rangers in his pocket, who were willing to kill their colleague so that he could continue poaching and conducting hunting trips in the park.
The mystery of the premiere involves the death of Anna’s colleague, Sheila. While everyone seems convinced that the death was by cougar, Anna has a nose for sniffing out crimes, and she immediately notices that this wasn’t an animal attack—it was murder.
And you know, I’d expect nothing less from her. Turns out, people suck equally, whether you’re soaking up the skyline of the Windy City or the National Parks of Montana.
As Anna pursues the mystery, inching closer and closer to the truth with each step, she realizes that someone must’ve framed the initial suspect, Corey, in Sheila’s death, after he turns up dead from an overdose.
Tracy Spiridakos as Anna Pigeon in Episode 101 of Anna Pigion on USA Network . Photo credit: Michelle Faye/USA Network © VERSANT MEDIA 2025. All Rights Reserved
A tiger trap is then laid for her at the edge of the cliff, with a piece of litter as bait, meaning the person behind the actual murder knows too much about what makes Anna tick. She can’t help but clean up the garbage polluting the world’s natural resources.
And that means it’s clearly someone on the inside.
After a chance meeting with Sheila’s ex-girlfriend, Anna gets access to her phone, where she finds photos of Jeremiah and a pinned location on a map, which brings her to the destination, where she finds a sedated cougar in a cage.
And her co-worker, Harlan, emerges from the shadows, doing the dirty work to keep Jeremiah’s hunting hobby in play.
Turns out, Sheila, who was tracking the cougars, caught wind of their poaching business and died for it.
Anna, however, is one step ahead of Harlan, and after taking him down, she makes sure to let Jeremiah know that she’s onto him—and she won’t back down without a fight.
Honestly, fiesty Anna is a vibe. While she initially had plans to leave this job behind for a different park, the events of the day convince her to stick around and stand by her promise.
Anna Pigeon is putting down roots, and hopefully, the audience follows suit, because this was a solid premiere for a series with plenty of potential, especially as we’ve seen the success of case-of-the-week formats with serialized threads woven in do well in the past—see Tracker
Also, shout out to whoever gave us the Easter egg of Anna’s bartneder hook-up being named Jessie (a nod to IRL boyfriend Jesse Lee Soffer, who played her on-screen husband on PD, Jay Halstead). If this wasn’t done intentionally, pretend it was.
Spiridakos has proven time and time again that she has what it takes to be a leading lady (re: boss), so hopefully audiences take a chance on her in this new role.
What did you think of Anna Pigeon? Will you stick around for more episodes? Let us know in the comments.