Tracker’ Showcases B.C.’s Interior in Big-Budget Small-Screen Series
A second big-budget television series partly shot in B.C.’s Southern Interior has hit the small screen, providing another showcase for the Thompson-Nicola region.
Tracker, starring Justin Hartley, premiered on CBS on Feb. 11, airing immediately after Super Bowl LVIII. More than 123 million people watched this year’s Super Bowl, making it the most-watched program in U.S. television history, surpassing the 1969 moon landing, and Terri Hadwin of the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission suspects many of those viewers saw at least the first few minutes of Tracker, which was shot west of Kamloops between Cache Creek and Walhachin.
“Having a premiere right after the Super Bowl is often considered the pinnacle for launching a new series on television,” Hadwin said. “It’s the most lucrative prime time you can have on TV, so I expect Tracker to have some exposure, especially since we’re in the first five minutes.”
The filmmakers were in the area in 2022, with filming taking place in the same area and almost back-to-back with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters starring Kurt Russell, which debuts on Apple+ in November 2023. READ MORE: Godzilla roams B.C.’s Southern Interior in new Apple TV series “The Tracker crew was in our area for about two weeks, with prep, shooting and wrap, and we shot about five minutes of the show,” Hadwin said. That may not seem like much for a TV series, but the show’s commissioner was excited.
“The desert landscape of Thompson-Nicola County in general is a big draw for productions of all sizes, and what’s interesting is that they tend to use it for key moments. We have high-action or really exciting scenes, or opening scenes like in Tracker or Jurassic World to really get the audience excited.
“We may not have a lot of screen time, but we have quality time.”
Tracker — based on the book The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver — focuses on the story of lone survivor Colter Shaw, who has extensive tracking skills. He travels the country in his Airstream trailer as a “reward man” helping police and citizens solve crimes and find missing people in exchange for reward money. Shaw is played by Justin Hartley, who has previously had prominent roles in Smallville, This Is Us, and The Young and the Restless.
Hadwin said she understands the appeal of the dramatic landscapes near the McAbee Fossil Beds east of Cache Creek.
“I think it’s the desert that’s so stark and imposing. You can have places where there are vast fields of nothing, or some places where the backdrop is hoodoo rocks. There are acres and acres of land where you can have different looks.
“It’s close to Ashcroft and Cache Creek for quick, no-frills amenities, and you’re close to Kamloops for the hotels for the talent.”
While Hadwin couldn’t say much about projects that might come to the region, she’s optimistic about the outlook for the rest of the year.
“I think 2024 is shaping up to be one of our better years, just with how busy 2023 is going to be with scouting and trying to support productions in finding their locations. Last year wasn’t a good year because of the writers’ and actors’ strikes during our principal photography, so [filmmakers] couldn’t move forward, because productions were on hold for so long. Now they really want to get out there and start creating, so I think 2024 is going to be a big year.”
A good year of filming in the area would provide a real economic boost, she added, with filmmakers spending an estimated $18 million in direct spending in the Thompson-Nicola area in 2022. “Last year it was around $2 million, but we’re probably looking closer to the 2022 number this year.”
Hadwin noted that local landscapes feature in Tracker’s main poster materials, and said she’s excited for residents to be able to tune in and see a familiar area.
“It’s great for people to be able to recognize that work is being done here and celebrate it. That doesn’t happen everywhere. It could really drive tourism, especially if the show develops a cult following. There’s a spin-off of, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize I could have that kind of landscape when I visited this area.’” “And it definitely impacts filmmaking, because when people want to shoot in places like the desert, they’ll say to someone, ‘Hey, I know you worked on Tracker, where did you shoot?’ They talk to each other, and that’s where you get your money’s worth.
“JasonHartley with his Airstream in our area is a form of free advertising that I’m happy to see. You can’t buy that.”
