On CBS’s ‘Tracker,’ this is him
As I settled in to watch the first episode of CBS’s “Tracker,” I got ready to roll my eyes.
I had a sneaking suspicion — call it a hunch — that the show’s writers and producers had found a pretext to feature “Tracker” star Justin Hartley with his shirt off.
The answer arrived five minutes in: Yes, they had. Eyes, commence rolling.
Flaunt it if you’ve got it, I guess. Viewers of NBC’s hit family melodrama “This Is Us” (2016-22) — in which Hartley played Kevin, one of the three Pearson siblings — can attest to the fact that the guy is ripped.
But I would argue that Hartley is also a better actor than he gets credit for. His Kevin on “This Is Us” may have been blessed with stereotypically good looks, but he was a wounded soul, and Hartley made sure we got glimpses of the vulnerability that lay underneath Kevin’s shiny surface.
Something similar is going on beneath the dramatic action and gunplay of “Tracker.” Hartley plays Colter Shaw, a guy whose specialty is finding missing people.
A lone wolf with echoes of Jack Reacher, Colter travels the country in an RV. (Reacher mostly walks.) Colter is clearly carrying around memories of painful episodes from his past. He blends his people-finding expertise with compassion and even a spirit of kinship for the families who are desperate to have them found.
It’s always interesting to see what actors choose as a follow-up to a successful TV series. Striking while the career iron is hot can be a trickier business than it appears. (Remember the “‘Seinfeld’ curse?”)
As they make the transition, the actors usually want a lot more money, obviously, and often an executive producer credit, and of course a much bigger share of the spotlight. On “This Is Us,” Hartley was part of a large, multigenerational ensemble, not to mention the time-traveling the series did, in which Kevin was portrayed by younger actors. On “Tracker,” though, everything revolves around Hartley.
As they move on to new roles and new shows, many actors strive not to alienate the fans they acquired in the show that made them famous. So there’s a certain element of give-the-people-what-they-want. (Hence, perhaps, Hartley’s torso-baring in “Tracker”? Just kidding. Mostly.)
CBS aired the premiere of “Tracker” after the Super Bowl, television’s single best leadin and launching pad. The ratings were strong for that debut and have subsequently remained so for the series, which is based on Jeffery Deaver’s thriller novel “The Never Game.” So strong, in fact, that CBS wasted no time in renewing “Tracker” for a second season.
In most respects, “Tracker” is a thoroughly formulaic procedural, rife with character inconsistencies and narrative gaps. Supporting members of the cast are thinly sketched. So it’s all up to Hartley. It’s a litmus test of his star power. No pressure.