Tracker (American TV series)

Tracker is an American action drama television series created by Ben H. Winters 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 is filmed in British Columbia, Canada, leveraging the scenic locales of the Vancouver metro area and Vancouver Film Studios. Winters and Hilary Weisman Graham serve 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 is scheduled to premiere on October 27, 2024.

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. In the episode "Klamath Falls", Colter Shaw as a youth is played by Prestyn Bates.
 * Robin Weigert as Teddi Bruin, who act 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, assists Shaw from a technical standpoint
 * Fiona Rene as Reenie Greene, an attorney who assists Shaw in legal matters

Guest starring

 * Lee Tergesen as Ashton Shaw, Colter's father
 * Mathew Nelson-Mahood as young Russell Shaw
 * Wendy Crewson as Mary Dove Shaw, Colter's mother
 * Anja Savcic as Kira Stine
 * Richard Harmon as Matt Winslow
 * Bradley Stryker as Tom Tozer
 * Marley Shelton as Erika Kennedy
 * Sofia Pernas as Billie Matalon
 * Dianne Doan as Sun Mai
 * Diana-Maria Riva as Detective Helen Brock
 * Gil Birmingham as Gus, a friend of Reenie's father
 * Peter Stormare as Valts
 * Melissa Roxburgh as Dory, Colter's younger sister who is a physics professor at Wyoming Science University
 * Jensen Ackles as adult Russell Shaw, Colter's estranged older brother
 * Jennifer Morrison as Lizzy Hawking, a family friend of Colter's

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.

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.

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 is scheduled to begin on July 16, 2024 and conclude on April 22, 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 is scheduled to premiere on October 27, 2024 on CBS.

Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 88% approval rating with an average rating of 6.8/10, based on 17 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".