Justin Hartley on ‘Tracker’s’ Success, Season 2 Plot, and Working With Wife Sofia Pernas: “I’m So Lucky”
With more than two decades of hard work in Hollywood as an actor, producer, and director, Justin Hartley is leading one of the top shows on television and “feels like all the hard work is paying off.”
The 47-year-old has made his name on shows like Passions, Smallville, Revenge, The Young and the Restless, and the beloved NBC drama This Is Us, but he’s finding a whole new fan base thanks to his starring role on the hit CBS series Tracker — which is set to be the most-watched non-sports TV show of the 2023-2024 season.
The series, based on Jeffery Deaver’s best-selling novel The Never Game, follows lone wolf and bounty hunter Colter Shaw (Hartley) as he searches for missing people for a living with the help of attorney Reenie Green (Fiona Rene), tech guru Bobby Exley (Eric Graise), and business consultant Velma Bruin (Abby McEnany).
Days before production begins on the show’s highly anticipated second season in July, Hartley sat down with Decider at the Television Critics Association’s Summer 2024 press tour to talk about the show’s success, what the 22-episode second season has in store, and more.
“I think Colter is taking his time and trying to figure out exactly how he’s attacking and how he’s figuring out what the hell is going on with all of this. What’s really going on? He’s not the type of guy to just let things slide,” Hartley told Decider, referring to the big revelations about Colter’s family in Tracker’s Season 1 finale. “Nobody likes to be lied to… So, it’s very tense. I think he needs to get to the bottom of it.”
Ahead of Tracker’s Season 2 premiere on Sunday, October 13, here’s what Hartley had to say about everything from potential love triangles and This Is Us crossovers to his thoughts on directing, working with wife Sofia Pernas, and more.
Yeah, you’re going to see a lot more of the same action and adventure and I think it’s a fun, engaging, compelling character—it’s like a throwback. You’re going to see a lot more of that. And the style of the show is obviously going to be the same. We’re going to have the procedural element of the show and then the backstory, we’re going to go deeper into that. We’re not going to just flood you with one episode. It’s going to be little bits and pieces, and it’s going to tie into the work that he’s doing and where he’s living. If you remember, at the end of Season 1, he’s getting all this information. And she’s like, “What are you going to do?” And he’s like, “Now? Nothing.” I’m going to do something, but not right now is what he’s saying. So I think he’s taking his time and trying to figure out exactly how he’s going to attack and how he’s going to figure out what the hell is going on with all of this. What’s really going on? He’s not the type of guy to just let things slide.
This time, you have a bigger order of 22 episodes. Can we expect any in-depth, multi-episode investigations?
Yeah, I hope so. I certainly put that forward. I’m a big, big proponent of that. I don’t think we need to do six or seven of them, but I’d love to see at least one, and I think we’ve earned it. I think the audience has earned it, and I think it’s something they’d really enjoy. It just expands the show a little bit. And I have some really great ideas that could be done. It won’t happen in Season 2, but I see myself directing Season 3 and beyond if it’s successful. My primary responsibility is to produce and act and work with Ken Olin and Elwood Reid and continue to put out great television. I love directing and if it makes sense, I’ll do it. But if it’s just to fill my ego and say I directed, I’m not interested in doing it. I would only do it if it made total sense. If we had an episode that — you know what would be really cool? If we had an episode that focused on Bobby or Reenie and I wasn’t really involved in that much, it would make sense for me to direct that episode, because I would have the time and it wouldn’t take away from the acting. But I certainly don’t want to take away from the show just to fill my ego and say I did something.
I respect that. Obviously you and the main cast are great, but you also had a lot of great guest stars in Season 1. We’ve talked about all the love for Jensen Ackles, who’s coming back in Season 2, but Season 1 also introduced your wife, Sofia Pernas, who’s coming back as Billie. We can see that
