With more than two decades of hard work in Hollywood as an actor, producer, and director, Justin Hartley is leading one of television’s top shows and “feeling like it all paid off.”
The 47-year-old multi-hyphenate rose to fame 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 fanbase thanks to his starring role on CBS’s hit series, Tracker — which ranked as the most-watched non-sports show on television for the 2023-2024 season.
The series, based on Jeffery Deaver’s bestselling novel The Never Game, follows lone wolf and rewardist Colter Shaw (Hartley) as he seeks out missing people for a living with help from lawyer Reenie Green (Fiona Rene), tech guru Bobby Exley (Eric Graise), and business advisor Velma Bruin (Abby McEnany).
Days before production began on the drama’s highly-anticipated second season back in July, Hartley sat down with Decider during the Television Critics Association’s Summer 2024 press tour to chat about the success of his series, what the 22-episode sophomore season has in store, and more.
“I think Colter’s taking his time and trying to figure out exactly how he attacks and how he figures out what the hell is going on with all this stuff. What’s really happening? He’s not the kind of guy that just lets things go,” Hartley told Decider in reference to big reveals about Colter’s family in Tracker‘s Season 1 finale. “Nobody likes to be lied to… So, it’s fraught. 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 his wife Sofia Pernas, and more.
Congrats on Tracker’s success and the early renewal! Season 2 starts filming next week, so what can you tease for us?
Well, you’re going to see a lot more of the same as far as the action and adventure and I think a fun, gripping, compelling character — like a throwback. You’ll see a lot more of that. And the style of the show obviously will be the same. We’ll have the procedural element of the show and then the backstories, we’re going to dive a lot deeper into that. We’re not going to just flood you with it in one episode. It’ll be a little bit at a time, and it’ll be tied in to the jobs that he’s doing, and where he is in life. If you remember, at the end of Season 1 he got all this information dropped on him. And she asks, “What are you going to do?” And he says, “Now? Nothing.” I’m going to do something, but not right now is what he meant. So I think he’s taking his time and trying to figure out exactly how he attacks and how he figures out what the hell is going on with all this stuff. What’s really happening? He’s not the kind of guy that just lets things go.
You got a larger 22-episode order this time around. Could we expect any in-depth, multi-episode investigations?
Yeah, I hope so. I’ve certainly pitched that. I’m a big, big advocate of that. I don’t think we need to do like 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 would really love. It just opens the show up a little more. And I’ve got a couple of really great ideas that would work with that.
There was also talk of you potentially directing an episode. Is that happening this season, and if not, is it still something you’re hoping for down the line?
It won’t happen in Season 2, but I see myself directing in Season 3 and beyond if it works out. My main thing is to produce, and act, and work in partnership with Ken Olin and Elwood Reid and just keep putting out a great television show. I love directing, and if it makes sense I’ll do it. But if it’s just for me to fill an ego thing and say I directed, I’m not interested in doing that. I will only do it if it makes total sense. If we have an episode where — you know what’d be really cool? If we have an episode where it’s Bobby centric or it’s Reenie centric and I’m really not in it that much, that would make a lot of sense for me to direct that, because I would have 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. You and the core cast are obviously great, but you also had so many amazing guest stars Season 1. We talked about all the love for Jensen Ackles, who’s returning in Season 2, but Season 1 also introduced your wife, Sofia Pernas, who’s coming back as Billie. We get glimpses of your professional relationship and on-screen chemistry, but how does working together translate to your personal lives?
We love working together. We run lines at home all the time. I bounce things off her all the time, like “I was thinking this,” and “I don’t know about this character,” and “Am I reading this the wrong way?” She does the same thing. We bounce things off each other all the time, just like everything in life.
It’s very fun for the audience to watch, so I can only imagine how cool and surreal is for your families to see.
Yeah, my daughter loves the show. She watches, and I think her friends really enjoy it. That’s the cool thing about our show. I have seen people from all walks of life, of all ages, sex, religion, it doesn’t really matter. People really love the show for all different reasons. I think a lot of people love the show for the same reason, because it’s so entertaining. But I think for their own little reasons and in their own little ways as well. And I just love that, because at the end of the day, that’s what we are. We’re entertainers, right? When you do something and you work that hard on it, you realize that what you really wanted was to entertain people, and tell a compelling story, and for people to really enjoy their lives for 45 minutes or whatever. When you’ve managed to pull it off it feels really good.
What can you tease about Colter and Billie in Season 2?
She comes back early on in the season in a very interesting set of circumstances. They’re kind of pushed together again a little bit — I don’t want to be forced to spend time with each other, because they’re a little bit of a better place than they were when we saw them in Season 1. But she needs his help with something and he helps her.
Good man. It’s no secret that Colter has amazing chemistry with both Billie and Reenie. Is there some love triangle potential in the future?
I mean, I think that’s good TV. Yeah, I think it’s definitely a good TV and soapy stuff. But it’s also complicated because his love triangle — that could be one: Reenie, Billie, and Colter. Another one could be Colter, and Billie or Reenie, and Colter’s job. Cause he works a lot. He’s like me. [Laughs] He’s always working.
I could also potentially see one with Reenie and the Shaw Brothers, because it’s clear that Russell has eyes for her.
Oh yeah. His little — we could go a lot of ways with this. [Laughs]
Fans love Fiona Rene’s character and some were really rooting for her to join you full time at the end of Season 1. We’ve since learned that Reenie is starting her own business with help from Velma. I’m sure she’ll still collaborate with Colter, but why did you feel it was important for her to do her own thing, rather than just hop on the Airstream with him?
I think that would have been cool as well. It’s just not a two-hander show. It’s a single lead show. That’s what it’s always been. It’s what I’m interested in doing. It’s what they’re writing, and it’s what we all agreed to do. And also she’s a pretty powerful character, a pretty strong woman. So I think it makes more sense that she’s doing her own thing and not just a sidekick, because she’s really not a sidekick.
Between Ken Olin, Jon Huertas, and the amazing Jennifer Morrison, you had quite a few This Is Us reunions in Season 1. Could fans expect to see any new This Is Us stars in Season 2?
Yeah, I would love that. Anything’s possible, I have all the phone numbers. And I think they’re all super talented people. I can see that happening and I would love for it to happen.
Your father, Milo Ventimiglia, watched the show and said he’s so proud of you and would love to reconnect, so just putting that out there.
Oh great. Accepted!
Speaking of This Is Us, Tracker also features flashbacks to younger versions of your character. Can we expect to see more of those actors in the future as we explore the Shaw family secrets?
I don’t think so. I think the flashbacks might be done for now. You know what’s interesting, though, is the kid who played young Kevin on This Is Us (Parker Bates)? The kid who played young Colter on Tracker is his brother (Prestyn Bates).
Oh, that’s so cool! The family reunion continues. In the Season 1 finale we learned that there’s a lot more to Colter’s dad’s life and death than originally met the eye. There’s this deeper fear that his mom and sister have been hiding crucial information from him. What’s his relationship with the women in his family is like in Season 2?
Nobody likes to be lied to. And and I think even when you find out that someone’s lying to you under the guise of, well, we’re protecting you, no one likes that. I’ve never experienced anyone saying, “Thank you for lying to me.” So, it’s fraught, I think. I think he needs to get to the bottom of it.
Before we go, it’s no secret that you’re in a very difficult industry.
Acting or tracking?
[Laughs] Both, but acting. Looking back at two plus decades of your career since you were on Passions, what does it mean to see this show that you’ve championed since the start find so much success?
It’s just great. Like you said, I worked really hard and I’ve had a great career. I got so lucky, because I started on Passions, which not a lot of people watched, so I didn’t really have to change my life much. I could act and I could still walk around and not have it be a big deal. And the whole fame thing, it just slowly got bigger, and bigger, and bigger — slowly, though. It wasn’t all of a sudden overnight. So it’s kind of been nice, and I feel like I’m well-adjusted and I feel like I’ve been around so many talented, wonderful people. I’ve seen them work. I’ve watched them. I’ve studied them. And I’ve tried to take as much of that as I can and learn from it.
Now here we are, like you said, 20 plus years later. To not only get this opportunity, but to remember all of those things that people were imparting on me, and just sort of sucking up everyone’s brain for all those years — I feel like it all paid off. I love the fact that people are enjoying the show as much as I am. I love that when people talk about it it puts a smile on the their face. And everyone’s got an opinion, like, “You know what I would do?” That’s what I want to hear. I want to hear your opinion, because that means you’re interested. So just thank you. Thank you to all the fans for watching, and to everybody for being interested enough to ask us questions.
This interview was condensed for length and clarity.
Tracker Season 2 premieres Sunday, October 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
The post Justin Hartley Talks ‘Tracker’s Success, Season 2 Storylines, And Working With Wife Sofia Pernas: “I Got So Lucky” appeared first on Decider.
