Will Justin Hartley’s ‘This Is Us’ Co-Stars Join ‘Tracker’ Season 2?
That’s a treat.
Justin Hartley plays Colter Shaw, a survivor who travels across the country tracking down missing people for bounties, in “Tracker.”
The CBS show (which Hartley also executive produces) was a hit when Season 1 aired, becoming the most-watched primetime series of the 2023-24 season, averaging about 20 million viewers per episode. Season 2 premieres Sunday, Oct. 13 (8 p.m. ET) on CBS and Paramount+.
“It’s a relief,” Hartley, 47, told The Post of the show’s success.
“When you put something out there and you put your all into it—and when you build something that’s in your niche—you hope that other people are going to like it. And you never know. So it’s really cool.”
Colter is a lone wolf, but he has a team of support from afar, including Teddi (Robin Weigert), Velma (Abby McEnany), Reenie (Fiona Rene), and his tech guy, Bobby (Eric Graise). He also has a complicated relationship with his brother, Russell Shaw (Jensen Ackles).
“We always had the idea that Russell Shaw would be on the show, we didn’t have an actor yet. And Jensen was watching football, and he just texted me to get my ugly face off his screen—because he was trying to watch the game, and I guess there were too many ‘Tracker’ ads for him to bear,” Hartley explained.
“And I said, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them, why don’t you come on the show?’ That’s how it worked out.”
Hartley and Ackles had been friends “for a long time” and had been trying to work together for a while, Hartley said, so “it was the perfect storm; he had some free time, and we had the perfect time to bring him in.”
As for how much Ackles will appear in Season 2, he said, “He’ll be in the second episode of the season, and then… a lot of it is logistical, when the actors are available, and a lot of it is story-wise. You don’t want to have someone on the show just for the sake of it, I have a lot of respect for him and I want it to make sense.”
But Hartley added, “They have a lot to say. We have quite a bit [of story] to tell about his character.”
Hartley’s wife, Sofia Pernas, 35, also appeared in Season 1 as Billie, a bounty hunter with a romantic history with Colter. She will also return for Season 2.
“It’s amazing. There’s nothing like waking up, carpooling to work, and knowing you’re going to spend the day with your best friend,” the “This Is Us” star said.
“She’s also so talented. I love having a co-star who’s so good and pushes you. We laugh all the time. That’s all we do. We’re a goofy couple. It’s a pretty great life.”
Season 2 will also explore an old case that Colter feels “haunted,” he shared.
“He can’t find the person he’s looking for, and it’s been 10 years. When that happens to Colter, he’s devastated. So that lays the groundwork for telling his backstory and why he behaves the way he does.”
Although “Tracker” gets intense, with Colter in dangerous situations, Hartley said there’s a lightness behind the scenes.
“We have a lot of fun with it. It’s like ‘This is Us.’ People are always surprised when I tell them how much we laughed on the set of ‘This Is Us.’ We were dying laughing. Same thing with ‘Tracker.’ We have moments of high intensity, high stakes, people shooting at us… Everyone’s having fun.”
