Tracker (American TV series)

Tracker is an American action drama television series developed by Ben H. Winters and based on the 2019 novel The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver. The series stars Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, a skilled survivalist and tracker who earns his living by assisting law enforcement and private citizens in exchange for reward money. Hartley is joined by principal cast members Robin Weigert, Abby McEnany, Eric Graise, and Fiona Rene.

The series is produced by 20th Television and was given a series order in December 2022, after initially being picked up for a pilot in July 2022. It was filmed in British Columbia, Canada, leveraging the scenic locales of the Vancouver metro area, and in Vancouver Film Studios. Winters and Hilary Weisman Graham served as showrunners.

Tracker premiered on February 11, 2024, following Super Bowl LVIII on CBS. In March 2024, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on October 13, 2024. In February 2025, the series was renewed for a third season.

Cast and characters

Main

Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist with extensive tracking skills who travels the country as a "rewardist." Shaw makes his living aiding law enforcement and private citizens in exchange for reward money.
- Prestyn Bates as young Colter Shaw
Robin Weigert as Teddi Bruin (season 1), who acts as one of Colter's handlers, finding cases for him to take and doing background research for him while on cases
Abby McEnany as Velma Bruin, Teddi's wife and Colter's second handler
Eric Graise as Bobby Exley, a hacker who assists Shaw from a technical standpoint
Fiona Rene as Reenie Greene, an attorney who assists Shaw in legal matters

Recurring

Floriana Lima as Camille Picket (season 2)
Chris Lee as Randy (season 2), Bobby's cousin
Pej Vahdat as Leonard Shar (season 2)

Guest starring

Lee Tergesen as Ashton Shaw, Colter's father
Wendy Crewson as Mary Dove Shaw, Colter's mother
Sofia Pernas as Billie Matalon
Gil Birmingham as Gus, a friend of Reenie's father
Peter Stormare as Valts
Melissa Roxburgh as Dory Shaw, Colter's younger sister who is a physics professor at Wyoming Science University
Jensen Ackles as Russell Shaw, Colter's estranged older brother
- Mathew Nelson-Mahood as young Russell Shaw
Jennifer Morrison as Lizzy Hawking, a family friend of Colter's

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2024)

Season 2 (2024–25)

Production

Development

Tracker is produced by 20th Television and based on Jeffery Deaver's 2019 novel The Never Game. The series was picked up to pilot by CBS in July 2022. In December 2022, it was given a series order. In March 2023, the title of the series was changed to Tracker. On March 4, 2024, the series was renewed for a second season. On February 20, 2025, the series was renewed for a third season.

Casting

In January 2021, Justin Hartley joined the series as Colter Shaw. In September 2022, Mary McDonnell was cast as Mary Dove Shaw. That month, Robin Weigert, Abby McEnany, and Eric Graise had also joined the series. In April 2024, Melissa Roxburgh and Jensen Ackles were cast to guest star. In August 2024, it was reported that Weigert is not returning as a series regular for the second season. In September 2024, Floriana Lima was cast in a recurring role for the second season. In February 2025, Chris Lee joined the cast in a recurring capacity for the second season. In March 2025, Pej Vahdat was cast in a recurring role for the second season.

Filming

Tracker is filmed in British Columbia, Canada, on location around the Vancouver metro area, and at Vancouver Film Studios. Filming for the second season began on July 16, 2024, and is scheduled to conclude on April 1, 2025.

Broadcast

Tracker premiered on February 11, 2024, on CBS in the United States as the lead-out show following Super Bowl LVIII (except in Kansas City, where Super Bowl postgame victory coverage led to the show airing on a sister station). In Canada, the series aired in simulcast on CTV. The second season premiered on October 13, 2024, on CBS.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 89% approval rating with an average rating of 6.8/10, based on 19 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Making great use of Justin Hartley's swaggering appeal, Tracker takes a spartan approach to a classic formula and yields a highly efficient entertainment." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".