Justin Hartley’s follow up to This Is Us would be Kevin Pearson’s dream. Tracker became the number one new show when it premiered in the spring. Over the summer, CBS brought the cast back for a panel with the Television Critics Association. Hartley stayed to speak with reporters after and at the evening’s party.
Season one already included guest stars like Jensen Ackles as Colter Shaw (Hartley)’s brother and Hartley’s real-life wife, Sofia Pernas, as rival bounty hunter Billie Shaw. Hartley previewed Colter’s new bounties and continuing storylines in season two, premiering Sunday, October 13, 2024 at 8pm ET/PT.
Justin Hartley Tracker Season 2 Interview
Do you ever get surprised when you learn more background about Colter?
Justin Hartley: “We dive into a lot of that stuff. We talk a lot about it so I kind of have all that figured out. And the hope is that never happens. Now, nothing’s perfect so it could possibly happen. There’s so much going on that you try not to think about what you did three weeks ago, but we’ve ironed out a lot of that stuff intentionally so that, hopefully, the idea is that doesn’t happen.”
Your last character was an actor like yourself dealing with Hollywood things. Is it nice to play a character who has none of that industry stuff?
Justin Hartley: “Yeah, look, Kevin Pierson will always be in my heart. That was the time of my life. I loved it but let’s be honest. This business, a lot of times you get typecast. When they see you do something, if you do it well, some people think that I did it well, that’s how they want to see you. To get the opportunity to do something really different with some familiar faces, it’s not lost on me how lucky I am. That doesn’t happen very often. Selfishly, as an actor, to be able to cut your teeth on something else completely different is pretty amazing.”
You ended the season on the beach presumably retired. So, is season two all on the beach?
Justin Hartley: “Listen, we’ve got to get you in the writers room. I love the idea.”
What is going to bring Colter out of retirement?
Justin Hartley: “Well, he was taking a little break. He’s a man of action but I think there’s always time to think about things. I think a lot got dropped on him at the end of season one. When she asked him, ‘What are you going to do?’ I think he says, ‘Right now, nothing.’ He’s just going to take a minute. When we pick up season two, you’ll see he doesn’t take that long of a break.”
You said your wife, Sofia Pernas, is coming back for season two. What was it like to work with her?
Justin Hartley: “I love carpooling. That’s fun. She’s wonderful. If I had my choice, I’d spend every minute with her so any time I get a chance to work with her. Also, you know what’s really cool is when you meet someone that means so much to you that you’re so proud to be with and so proud of and such a fan of, to get to see her work because she’s such a talented actor, she elevates scenes. So, it makes my job easier, actually.
It’s just wonderful to work with her. I love the character too. She brings so many layers to that character. We have a lot of fun stuff coming up.”
Is it fun that she’s competition for Colter?
Justin Hartley: “Yeah, I love the dynamic where it’s like you could look at it like competition but there’s also a history there so there’s a little bit of bad blood but it’s also like are they going to mend things? Are they not? Can you trust her? I don’t know if you can. She hasn’t proven that Colter can trust her. We’ll see how that evolves. There’s a lot of room to work with in that relationship.”
Has Colter changed in season two?
Justin Hartley: “I think ‘evolved’ is a good word. That whole first season, he had this idea about the tragedy behind his father’s death and who was responsible for it. Even though he knew he didn’t have all of the pieces of the puzzle and all the information, he was pretty sure that he knew how things went down. Come to find out at the very end of the season, you realize everything that he had been thinking about that was, in fact, not true. So that kind of turns things on its head and it would make one, I think, someone like Colter especially, think well, maybe I need to rethink my angst about how I go about doing my business because I was living my life in a certain way based on all of these things that I thought were true. I come to find out they’re actually not true.”
Is that naive in a way?
Justin Hartley: “I don’t know if it’s naivete as much as it would be a little bit of a confidence check, wouldn’t it? You’d be like, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve been wrong?’ He’s not really used to being wrong, right? He’s used to getting all the answers. He’ll ask questions. It’s like a dog with a bone until he gets the answers. He’s not going to drop a job. He’s going to work and work and work until he gets the answer. He doesn’t quit. He had the answer and then come to find out he didn’t have the answer. So, it just makes you go, ‘Wait a minute, what did I say?’”
There are hints of a will they or won’t they relationship with Reenie. Now that you’re the number one show, in success do you hope to drag that out longer?
Justin Hartley: “The hope and the goal is to never drag anything out. I think a lot of times people do that. A lot of times people go, ‘Hey, there’s this really great thing that we have. Let’s not spoil it so let’s drag it out.’ I won’t allow it. Nothing’s going to be dragged out. No, we’ve got to fill it with wonderful, great story. I don’t even know if we have enough time to tell the story. That’s how much information we have and how much story that we have to tell you guys.
The hope is to never drag it out, but I know what you’re saying. That has to be something that percolates underneath the circuit. We have that story.”
Does Colter and Reenie’s professional relationship have just as much chemistry as a romance?
Justin Hartley: “I think so. It’s close.”
The banter.
Justin Hartley: “Yeah, I think there’s an interesting banter between the two of them that is a little bit familiar but also respectful. They’re never disrespectful to each other, I don’t think. It’s more a playful kind of thing and a familiarity. Almost like, ‘I can talk to you a certain way without you getting offended,’ and she feels the same way. She does a little bit more of that, to be quite honest, than Colter does. Yeah, I think they really respect each other. I think at the heart of that relationship is respect.”
On This Is Us, nothing was dragged out. You knew when Jack died, you knew all the moments.
Justin Hartley: “You’re right, but going back to your question, has Colter evolved, certainly as a producer, this is the first show I produced but as an actor as well, you hope to evolve. You hope to bring things from other shows that you were on. I was so lucky to be on that show and around all those people and that whole experience. You hope to bring all of that, those good things and those sensibilities to your next project. Just like things you don’t like, you’re like, ‘Okay, I’m going to leave that alone. I’m not going to bring that with me.’ We have a lot of it mapped out.”
Tracker is potentially unlimited because there will always be bounties to collect. How does that compare to having all six seasons of This Is Us and the life story of the Pearsons mapped out?
Justin Hartley: “Hmm, I guess that would be different, wouldn’t it? That’s a good point. I hadn’t considered that until just now. I would say, I think fundamentally, this is a procedural show which is sort of, I guess, the building block that makes it unlimited, whereas This Is Us was not. We do have a serialized element though. So, I would contend that it’s not unlimited. I think maybe the procedural element, the cases or the jobs are unlimited.
I think this show rises and sets with the family and the fact that Colter leads with his heart, the fact that he’s looking for this missing piece of his life. He’s a family man who, interestingly enough, is alone, is a lone wolf. He is and he’s also a family man at heart. That’s what draws me to the character. So, I don’t know if it’s unlimited in that regard. I know what you’re saying with the procedural aspect of it.”
Or at least the showrunners haven’t decided season six yet.
Justin Hartley: “Well, we don’t know. They might have decided that.”
Has there been any talk of other This Is Us cast members guest starring on Tracker?
Justin Hartley: “I would be up for having every single one of them back on. If I had it my way, I’d have them all on at the same time but it’s a different show. I would love that. Imagine a life where you get to do exactly what you want to be doing. They call it work. I love what I do and doing it with people that you absolutely love that are extremely talented. That’s how I feel about all those people.”
Anyone from The Young and the Restless you’d like to see on Tracker?
Justin Hartley: “I have so many friends over there too. Wouldn’t it be cool? Missy Peregrym would be cool to have on. Eric Braeden would be cool to have on.”
You got a full 22-episode season pickup. Is that be careful what you wish for?
Justin Hartley: “Check back with me in a few months. I think I’ll be okay though. I try to stretch. They take care of me so we should be okay.”
As you film on location are you starting to get swarmed by Tracker fans?
Justin Hartley: “No, we’re in the middle of nowhere a lot of times. We’re left alone. We don’t travel to big cities and things like that, so I think we’ll probably be okay – although I could be wrong. We’ll see.”
- Tracker Season 2: Fiona Rene Talks Colter and Reenie’s Relationship
- Season 2: Justin Hartley and Elwood Reid Interview
- Season 1 Episode 13 “The Storm” Finale Recap
- CBS Renews Tracker and Eight Other Shows
This post was last modified on February 20, 2025 4:06 pm