Justin Hartley has played a superhero, an anti-hero, an actor, and various other beloved roles on the small screen.
The This Is Us alum is about to pivot his career like never before as the star attraction on Tracker.
Scroll down to find out everything we know about the new CBS drama.
What is Tracker About?
Hartley plays Colter Shaw, “a lone-wolf survivalist who roams the country as a reward seeker, using his expert tracking skills to help private citizens and law enforcement solve all manner of mysteries while contending with his own fractured family,” the logline teases.
As we said, it’s a change of pace for Hartley and one we’re sure will connect with his fans while earning him even more.
No matter the role, Hartley brilliantly brings them all to life on screen. What more could we want from an actor in an adaptation of a favorite book?
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After playing Kevin Pearson for six seasons, it’s understandable that Justin would want to steer his career in a different direction.
Playing similar roles must grow monotonous, but something about Colter Shaw sounds worlds away from what he’s played before.
The Never Game by Jeffrey Deaver
With almost 11 thousand reviews and a rating of 4.3 on Amazon, The Never Game by Jeffrey Deaver’s book is a hit by any standard. But how much will the show vary from the novel’s success?
Colter himself seems quite like the man from the book, but whether the story will incorporate any of the novel’s details, we don’t know. What we do know is the SAW-like premise has been successful in other forms of entertainment.
The idea of a madman dropping unsuspecting people in the middle of nowhere with only five items they can use to survive is frightening, and it’s not too hard to imagine Tracker Season 1 leaning into those tales of desperation.
Procedurals have been based on far less and have been massive hits. Only time will tell how far the series deviates from the novel.
Can CBS Successfully Adapt The Never Game to Series?
CBS has the chops to bring this adaptation to life. They’ve successfully created six seasons of Elementary based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.
They’ve also been imperative in bringing more than one of Stephen King’s works to life. Some say that Salem’s Lot might be one of the best page-to-screen adaptations of all time, scaring children for decades to come.
They also created Under the Dome, though, which was a little iffy overall, and they’ve had a recent miss with the series adaptation of the movie True Lies.
CBS is highly invested in Tracker and has worked with Hartley before on Young and the Restless, so we think this has the recipe for success.
Tracker Season 1 Cast: Who’s In?
As stated above, Justin Hartley plays Colter Shaw. The rest of the Tracker Season 1 cast includes:
• Fiona Rene as Reenie
• Robin Weigert as Teddi
• Abby McEnany as Velma
• Eric Graise as Luther
With the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in the rearview mirror, Tracker will have an accelerated production schedule.
Preliminary casting had been completed when the show scored a formal pickup, but now that production is ramping up, more names will be announced in the coming weeks.
For now, it’s a stellar cast, albeit a little thin, so we’ll keep this post updated as casting news becomes available.
How Many Episodes Have Been Ordered for Tracker Season 1?
CBS went straight-to-series on Tracker, which is a big vote of confidence.
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Those kinds of orders are only reserved for projects with big names and even bigger potential.
Unfortunately, CBS is keeping the episode order under wraps, but if we had to guess, we’re looking at a 10-13 episode freshman run for Tracker.
This won’t be driven by the show’s quality. Due to the nature of the strikes delaying the fall season, networks will have an inventory program heading into 2024.
As a result, many shows might not return when you expect them to — if at all. It’s a difficult time, but Tracker is locked and loaded for midseason.
When Will Tracker Season 1 Premiere?
Initially, we were told Tracker would premiere during the 2023-24 TV season, but with CBS delaying its new shows due to changing needs due to the strikes, there was a chance a similar fate awaited Tracker.
But CBS is well aware that this show has the potential to break out and has confirmed it will premiere on Sunday, February 11, 2024.
If that night sounds familiar, it’s Super Bowl Sunday, which means Tracker is getting the biggest launching pad on TV.
The rest of the series will remain on Sundays in the 9 p.m. slot, sandwiched between The Equalizer and CSI: Vegas.
It’s a decent slot, and CBS is betting big on the show. Revamping a night is no easy task, but CBS is giving Tracker every possibility of being a success story.
Pairing the series up with The Equalizer is a good idea, too. There should be plenty of cross-pollination in the viewers of both shows.
The series should remain on the air through May 2024.
Is There a Trailer for Tracker?
CBS dropped a promo for Tracker in early 2023, which showcased Hartley as Colter Shaw as he looked at a photo and prepared for the mission ahead.
Sadly, we haven’t had anything else since, but there will likely be a full-fledged trailer around January 2024 to tout the show’s imminent series premiere.
Check out the first footage of Tracker below.
Has Tracker Been Renewed for Season 2?
CBS has yet to make renew/cancel decisions, but we might get them earlier than usual.
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Studios have been pushing for shows to film two seasons back-to-back, and some will follow suit.
Picking up Tracker for Season 2 well ahead of its series debut would be a big risk, but given the network’s commitment to the show, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise.
We should get more indications in the coming weeks. For now, we can only await the series debut and hope the numbers are at the level CBS expects.
Where Can I Watch Tracker?
Tracker is a CBS original, so the episodes will first be available on the channel.
Episodes will be made available on Paramount+ the next day, so if you’re into streaming, you’ll be able to stay up to speed with the show.
What are your thoughts on everything we know about Tracker?
Do you think it will be the big hit CBS expects it to be?
We can’t wait to find out — right after the biggest football game of the year.
Will you be watching?
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.