The 10 best Colter Shaw moments on Tracker Season 2 and the most worth watching
10 Greatest Colter Shaw Moments on Tracker Season 1
Justin Hartley had some standout moments as Colter Shaw in Tracker season 1. The character was the centerpiece of Jeffery Deaver’s Colter Shaw series, a collection of stories that inspired the CBS series. Tracker debuted after the 2024 Super Bowl, which featured a shortened season due to the Writers Guild of America strike. Despite that, the 13-episode series was a hit, earning Tracker a season 2 renewal after just four episodes. An average of 19 million viewers watched the first seven episodes of the series, making it the most-watched non-sports television show of the 2023-2024 cycle.
In season 1 of the series, Justin Hartley established a compelling on-screen version of Deaver’s character Colter Shaw: a self-proclaimed “bounty man” who makes a living by finding missing people and cashing in the bounties. Colter works with a small but effective core team. The Tracker cast includes Abby McEnany and Robin Weigert, who play Velma and Teddi Bruin, Colter’s handlers. He also gets help from Bobby Exley and Reenie Greene, played by Eric Graise and Fiona Rene. While his team is indispensable, some of Colter’s best moments in Tracker season 1 come when he’s working alone. A moment in Tracker season 1, episode 1, “Klamath Falls,” sets the tone for how Colter will operate. He broke into the office at Burger Bin, a fast food restaurant, and the last known location of Gil Brown, the 14-year-old Colter had been stalking. While his mother believed Gil’s father had kidnapped him, Colter quickly verified that the man who had kidnapped the boy was not his father by breaking into the office to view the security footage. It could take weeks to access the footage, and Colter knew he didn’t have time.
That’s why Colter locked himself in the office, ignoring the police, who happened to be on the scene and arrested him as soon as they arrived. By then, the self-proclaimed “reward” had the information he needed to tell Gil’s mother. Colter was able to control this behavior with the help of his handlers, who immediately found someone to negotiate his release from prison. This moment is one of Colter’s best because it defines the character: a lone modern cowboy willing to bend the law to serve justice.
Justin Hartley’s character took a risk based on probability in “Klamath Falls.” Colter found Gil, but his captor had committed suicide. The convict’s loss of motor function caused the truck carrying Colter and Gil in the back to fall partway over the edge of a cliff. This left them both clinging on for dear life, but in a shocking twist, Colter told Gil that he thought they should let go. Colter Shaw made this decision based on probability. Luckily, the math added up, resulting in both of them being safe.
Colter explained that he was a good swimmer but was suffering from a gunshot wound and was losing strength. He suggests that they try and let go so he can swim to safety instead of waiting 30 minutes for emergency help. He knows that the car could crash or they could lose their grip in that time. Colter explains that if they let go, there is a 95 percent chance that he can swim to safety for both of them. He does exactly that.
The search for a missing person leads Colter to a cult in Tracker season 1, episode 2, “Missoula.” He is looking for Jackson, an accountant who was arrested for financing the group. Jackson finds salvation in the cult run by Seth and Rebecca Pendergast. Colter is allowed into the cult to talk to Jackson on the condition that he agrees to be interrogated by Seth, the leader, who has vital information about the Shaw family to hinder his investigation. Seth’s research puts Colter in a dangerous position, which he does when he breaks into the cult’s offices, where Colter finds evidence linking the cult to the murder of their last accountant, who had uncovered the criminal activities of their leaders. Colter not only uses the evidence to convince Jackson of the cult’s true intentions, but also shuts down the cult and puts Rebecca and Seth behind bars. It’s one of Colter’s greatest moments, as it establishes his work ethic: while he cares about missing people, the thoroughness of his investigations often leads to much broader results.
