‘Tracker’: Justin Hartley Says There’s a ‘Little Bit’ of Kevin Pearson in New Action Series
Preview
This Is Us ended its six-season run in 2022, but Justin Hartley didn’t have to look far for his next project once he read Jeffery Deaver’s The Never Game at the urging of Ken Olin, executive producer and director of both This Is Us and Tracker.
The novel, about a skilled “reward seeker” named Colter Shaw who solves mysteries with his tracking skills, instantly resonated with the actor. “Ken goes, ‘I think there’s something there,’” recalls Hartley. “I loved the book and the character. CBS bought it on the phone pretty much.”
Here, Hartley—who also serves as an executive producer on the series—reveals more.
This is different from This Is Us and Kevin Pearson…or is it?
Justin Hartley: I carry Kevin with me a little bit into this role. This is an action thriller and Colter’s circumstances are completely different. You’ve got the father and the question about what happened there. You’ve got family drama, you’ve got questions that there are no answers to. I think if you put Kevin in Colter’s boots, he would be dead in a day. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have the same heart.
In the pilot, where Colter’s hired to find a missing teenage boy, he says, “Everyone’s looking for something.” What is he looking for?
He’s searching for the answer to that question. He’s a restless guy, and we’ll unpeel it throughout the season, what his childhood was. We’ll get into more detail about the relationship with his mother, his father, his brother, all that stuff.
Flashbacks were a big deal in This Is Us and they’re also in Tracker’s pilot. How much are they a part of the show?
The flashbacks in the pilot are necessary to tell a quick story, like, “This is where this guy is.” We’ll get away from them a little bit more as the series goes on.
Premiering after the Super Bowl is a huge launch. Any pressure to deliver with the pilot?
The more times people say, “Is there pressure?” the more I feel like maybe I should start feeling pressure. But it was the same thing with the This Is Us pilot. I knew it was very, very good and something I would remember for the rest of my life. That’s how I feel about this. I know our show is great, and that’s all you can do.
Tracker, Premieres Sunday, February 11, 10/9c, CBS; Moves to 9/8c Sunday, February 18
