Justin Hartley is ruling the charts on Sunday nights on CBS as survivalist Colter Shaw in the second season of Tracker. The show’s immediate success cemented Hartley’s status as a TV star, a bankable network lead, and a charming action hero capable of carrying a primetime drama. For many Tracker fans, this may seem like Hartley’s arrival moment. However, long before tracking missing people across the country, Hartley was navigating the complex emotional terrain of family life in a role that truly marked his breakout on television.
Eight years ago, Hartley delivered a performance on a show that wasn’t just popular but has become a cultural phenomenon and one that repeatedly finds itself showered with immense love from fans and critics. As Kevin Pearson in NBC’s beloved, time-bending family saga This Is Us, Hartley witnesses a shift in his career trajectory. The role allowed him to transcend previous typecasting and showcase a dramatic depth and vulnerability previously unseen by mass audiences. His journey as Kevin wasn’t just a compelling character arc; it was a moment when Justin Hartley received the love and critical acclaim he deserved all along.
This is Us Gave Justin Hartley His First Complex Role
Before landing the role of Kevin Pearson in 2016, Justin Hartley was a known face in the TV world, but his career path hadn’t yet led him to the kind of complex role where he could show the true potential of his acting prowess. He had a familiar presence primarily through daytime dramas and genre shows; fans knew him from his stints on Passions and later The Young and the Restless, where his performance even earned him a Daytime Emmy Nomination. Justin also explored the superhero world, most notably playing Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on Smallville for several seasons and starred in an unaired Aquaman pilot.
These roles demonstrated his charisma and leading man looks, often fitting within archetypes and providing consistent work and visibility. However, they never tapped into the emotional nuance and deep-seated vulnerability required for Dan Fogelman’s ambitious, multi-generational family drama. Playing Kevin, as part of the central sibling trio alongside Chrissy Metz (Kate) and Sterling K. Brown (Randall), was a significant departure from these roles and arrival into a complex one. During a conversation with Vulture, Justin shared the joy of playing Kevin’s role in This is Us. He said:
“It was gonna be awesome! Then three years ago, I remember thinking, I never thought I was gonna be this guy, this journeyman actor that bounces around from job to job to job.”
The role of Kevin demanded more than charm; it required navigating decades of emotional baggage and portraying a character often masked by superficiality but internally grappling with insecurity and a need for validation. This is Us placed Justin within a powerhouse ensemble cast on a highly anticipated network series, with themes of addiction, grief, identity, and a long shadow of family history. Hence, it was enough to redefine a career, and Justin carried it with hard work and grace, which was noticed by his fans, colleagues, and critics.
Hartley Plays One of the Most Nuanced Characters in This Is Us
Playing Kevin Pearson was a risk, as he was the ‘least sympathetic’ of the Big Three – the handsome actor seemingly blessed with success yet plagued by existential crisis and perpetual dissatisfaction. However, Justin infused him with a captivating complexity and a presence where the viewers are naturally drawn towards this man with so much pain and agony. No doubt that there were other characters around him who were more likable than Kevin, but this is where Justin makes him stand out in the crowd.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the standout Season 2 episode “Number One,” which starkly juxtaposed Kevin’s teenage football glory with his present-day Kevin spiraling into painkiller addiction. Number One was part of the three episodes that focused on each sibling, showing their journey from childhood to the present. Viewers see that Kevin is receiving an honor at high school. Meanwhile, inside, he is just a wreck. Hartley masterfully portrayed the dissonance: the forced smiles and waves for fans snapping selfies, contrasted with the desperate, isolated reality of hiding in a hotel room, downing pills, and seeking refills on “all things alcohol-related.”
In an episode of their podcast That Was Us, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, and Chris Sullivan called Justin Hartley’s performance in the ‘Number One’ episode a ‘performance of this series.’
As the show progresses and the viewers are introduced to the raw vulnerability beneath Kevin’s outside persona, Justin’s performance excels. In Number One, the award ceremony sequence is nothing but brilliant: Kevin attempts a raw, honest speech, trying to convey his brokenness (“I’m not strong at all… Don’t love me”), only to be met with loving cheers from an audience blinded by his celebrity. It’s absolutely disheartening to witness Kevin being unseen and unheard, even when all eyes are on him; Hartley drags the viewers to his inner world where he is sinking and no one is there to catch him.
One reason why Hartley was so good at connecting with the character is that he acknowledged how misunderstood Kevin was and felt empathetic towards him. During an episode of Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace, Hartley looked back at his character, who was considered ‘selfish.’ He told Wallace, “When you take on characters, a lot of times they become your children and your friends, part of you. And so you sort of feel that. It was just like, the guy can’t get out of his own way, but he’s not a bad guy. But everyone thinks he’s kind of an a–hole, you know what I mean? But he’s really not.”
This Is Us Takes Viewers on A Relatable, Familiar Journey
Justin Hartley’s rise wasn’t just about being in a hit show, it was about being an integral part of a genuine and relatable television phenomenon. This is Us is loved by millions around the world precisely because its core premise – following the interconnected lives of the Pearson family across multiple decades – resonated so deeply with universal human experiences. The show explores the complexities of familiar dynamics, parenting, the long-lasting impact of grief (surrounding Jack’s death) and the unbreakable, often strained, bonds between siblings. Audiences saw their own lives reflected in the Pearsons’ journey and those related to them, making the show a rare weekly appointment for shared emotional connection.
Interestingly, Mandy Moore, who plays Rebecca Pearson in the show, is the youngest of the main actors, even though she plays the mother of Randall, Kate, and Kevin.
One instance where this deep connection with the plot is evident is through the character of Miguel, often called the ‘unsung hero’ of the show, beautifully portrayed by Jon Huertas. Miguel was Jack’s (Milo Ventimiglia) best friend, and later viewers find out that Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore) would go on and marry Miguel after Jack passed away, immediately making him a villain in the audience’s eyes. However, in season six, episode 15, “Miguel”, the audience sees the much-awaited emotional journey of this supporting character from his childhood to being a part of the Pearson family. Interestingly, actor Jon Huertas, after playing Miguel, felt that the character heavily resonated with his personal life. On the release of the Miguel-centered episode, he said, “What I tapped into is, I grew up in a not-so-nuclear family. For me, trying to find my place, feeling like an outsider like Miguel. A lot of stuff that we put into this episode comes from my past, and a lot of my personal story is Miguel.”
The creators and writers of This is Us should be lauded for creating such impactful characters and bringing this non-linear emotional narrative together beautifully on TV screens. However, the emotional authenticity of the writing was brought to life by one of the strongest ensemble casts in recent television history. The collective brilliance of Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, and Ron Cephas Jones, among others, worked like magic in telling the stories of these characters, which came to an end after six seasons in 2022.
Hartley thrived within this talented group, contributing significantly to their shared success and the show’s two SAG Awards for Outstanding Ensemble. He came to the top with his own unique acting capabilities, ultimately becoming one of the central figures in the show. As Kevin in This is Us, Hartley was able to prove his range beyond doubt, and the role paved his way for the confidence that CBS would place in him to lead Tracker.
