Justin Hartley talks ‘Tracker’ success, Season 2, and casting ‘This is Us’ co-star Jennifer Morrison

Hartley’s character, Colter Shaw, is adapted from Jeffery Deaver’s book, ‘The Never Game.’

CBS has confirmed that ‘Tracker,’ starring Justin Hartley, will have a second season after the show boasted immense rating success, with 16 million multiplatform viewers.

In the series, Hartley plays Colter Shaw, a skilled tracker who aids law enforcement, premiered after Super Bowl LVIII and quickly captivated audiences.

The actor revealed that the opportunity for his role in ‘Tracker’ opened up after ‘This is Us’ wrapped.

“When This Is Us ended, our directing producer, Ken Olin, came to me and said, 'I'd really like to keep working with you,' and I said, 'Likewise,'” Hartley shared on Live with Kelly and Mark. 

“So we found this book, The Never Game, written by Jeffery Deaver and took the character Colter Shaw and developed it for TV.”

Beyond starring as the lead, Hartley holds an executive producer credit on Tracker.  This role gave him a say in adapting the source material, Jeffery Deaver's novel The Never Game.

Hartley spoke to PEOPLE about decisions he made for his role. “The fact that Colter doesn't have a girlfriend, I think that's one of the things I wanted to sort of keep,” he said. 

“I feel like if he has a wife and a girlfriend and a family, and he continues to do all these dangerous things, that's kind of selfish.” 

Hartley also helped cast fellow ‘This is Us’ co-star, Jennifer Morrison as Lizzy in ‘Tracker.’ 

About casting Morrison, the actor said, “I met her on This Is Us and I just absolutely loved working with her,” adding, “I couldn't think of a more perfect actor to come in and play that role than her.”

CBS greenlit Season 2 just four episodes into the first season, solidifying its commitment to the show.

While an official premiere date hasn't been announced, viewers can expect new episodes during the 2024-2025 season. 

Details on the returning cast are yet to be revealed, but Hartley is likely to reprise his role as Colter Shaw. 
‘Tracker’ can currently be streamed on CBS. Additionally, fans can purchase individual episodes or the entire season on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.