‘Tracker’ Star Reveals the Shocking Reason the Show Is So Successful

For all intents and purposes, CBS’ drama series, Tracker, is supremely successful. Since its debut in 2024, the show, which stars Justin Hartley in the lead role of Colter Shaw, has consistently captivated audiences. Hartley features as a rewardist who finds missing people in exchange for the posted reward money. This sees the audience visit new places via the adventures of Mr. Shaw. The show continues to punch hard for CBS, and Hartley has his own theory on why the show has been so successful.

Hartley sat down to discuss the success of Tracker with the Men’s Journal, and offered some unique insight. During the interview, the actor notes that the CBS drama allows his character to grow over time while highlighting that Colter’s version of masculinity does help to drive success. “One of the things I really love about Colter and the way we’ve built him is that he doesn’t apologize for his masculinity. I think that’s what people are looking for,” Hartley explains. Adding, “You’re asking yourself, ‘What kind of people do I want to hang out with?’ And particularly: ‘What kind of male friends do I have in my life that I really value?’ I think we’ve crafted a character that is so emotionally evolved, and he really does want to get to the root of why people do things…“

Over the course of two seasons, fans have watched Colter handle himself pretty decently in multiple situations, including fist and gun fights. While he is a man not lacking in brawn, he is equally soft-spoken and considerate, with a willingness to entertain ideas that aren’t his while working with his incredibly well-assembled team. Hartley goes on to highlight Colter’s listening nature:

“He’s a man through and through. And that doesn’t mean you have to be the loudest person in the room and know every single f*cking thing and throw tables around and scream and shout and yell and smoke and drink. He’s all about talking with people. Reading people. Understanding them. He’s an all-encompassing man. He’s not just a guy. He’s a man.”

More Shaw Family Secrets Will Be Unpacked in ‘Tracker’ Season 3

Besides all the noise that comes from crisscrossing the country and saving various people from danger. Tracker has a mystery tied to its lead character running in the background. It revolves around the death of Colter’s father, Ashton Shaw (Lee Tergesen). Having pursued answers for a long time, Season 2 finally provided some answers, and they were quite gut-wrenching for Colter. His mother, Mary Dove Shaw (Wendy Crewson), was somehow involved and the split between the Shaw siblings, Colter, Russell (Jensen Ackles) and Dory (Melissa Roxburgh), was all planned. Speaking in June, Hartley revealed that Season 3 would explore the Shaw family secrets even further.

“I know we’ll get to the nitty-gritty of why my mother hired this guy. Was she protecting her kids? Was an affair happening? Was the government involved? Was it strictly just my mother? Why did she hide that from us for so long? Why did she lead me to believe that it was my brother who was involved when he wasn’t? It seems like this divide-and-conquer thing that she’s doing. It was just an odd thing to do with your children. There’s some deep psychosis there. We’ll unpack that.”

Seasons 1 and 2 of Tracker are now streaming on Paramount+.