Tracker’s Justin Hartley On Why His New Action Series Is So Popular After 1 Season

Justin Hartley shares why Tracker has become so successful after just one season. CBS’ latest procedural show debuted after Super Bowl LVIII and marked his return to the small screen after NBC’s This Is Us. This time, however, he is the sole lead start of the series. Hartley plays Colter Shaw in Tracker, a confessed rewardist —someone who tracks people for money. Based on the 2019 novel The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver, season 1 only had 13 episodes, but it still ended up being the most-watched show of the 2023-2024 TV season, even dethroning NCIS.

Speaking at the TCA’s Summer Tour panel for CBS (via Trib Live), Hartley shares the reason why he thinks Tracker has become so popular after season 1. He credits the show for having a unique lead star in Colter. Despite his tough demeanor, Hartley says that his character is not the typical hardened lone wolf. Read his full quote below:

This guy leads with his heart and we don’t necessarily see that when we think of a character like this. He’s able to be there and fix all these problems of other people but there’s this one thing he can’t get out of the way of — (himself) — as smart as he is.

What Tracker Season 2 Needs To Do To Maintain Its Popularity

Tracker Season 1’s Success Is Impressive

Some of the biggest shows of all time struggled during season 1. That was the case with MASH, NCIS, and Cheers, to name a few. So Tracker being so successful from the get-go is a big advantage in terms of the series having legs to run for many years. Just because it was an immediate hit doesn’t mean that Tracker season 2 will continue to enjoy the same level of success. There are a few things that Hartley, who is also a producer on the show, can do to maintain its popularity in its sophomore year and beyond.

For starters, since Colter is its sole protagonist, Tracker needs to find ways to keep him interesting throughout its run. There is no shortage of ways to do this. It can be via putting him in varying situations that will test his mental and physical capabilities or seeing him develop relationships with new people that he encounters. Beyond Colter, Tracker can also expand its storytelling by developing the stories of other characters. Diversifying its plot is one way to bring in more viewers as it can potentially broaden its reach.

Finally, Tracker needs to continue developing the mystery about the Shaw family, particularly regarding the truth about how his father died. The plot runs parallel with the series’ weekly cases and has made the introduction of Dory and Russell Shaw so much more intriguing. Whether Tracker resolves this in season 2 is uncertain, but its sophomore year needs to move the arc forward.