Colter Shaw grew up with a father who was once a respected professor, but went down a rabbit hole and schooled his children on survivalist skills. After his father died in a climbing accident, Colter suspected his brother had something to do with his death. For that reason, Colter keeps in touch with his mother, but refuses to take his brother’s calls. But he uses what he learned from his dad to make a living as a tracker, someone who goes after reward money to find missing people.
Abby McEnany as Velma Bruin and Robin Weigert as Teddi Bruin (Photo: Michael Courtney/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Colter is the brain child of award-wining mystery writer Jeffrey Deaver who knows a thing or two about creating fascinating characters. (Lincoln Rhyme, the quadriplegic former detective who helps solve crimes with his knowledge of crime scene detritus, is his most famous.) There are fewer books in the Colter Shaw library – four compared to 16 that feature Rhyme – but CBS recognized the stories would make a good series. And casting Justin Hartley, one of the stars of NBC’s Emmy-winning series, This Is Us, was a stroke of genius. CBS was so confident of a hit with Tracker that it scheduled the show’s premiere after the 2024 Super Bowl. It appears that faith is being borne out with great ratings. On May 12, it won the night with more than seven million viewers. A second season is a given.
Fiona Rene as Reenie (Photo: Michael Courtney/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Fans of the Colter mysteries will have no trouble getting into Tracker. Some of the supporting players have changed, but the basic plots are similar. Velma and Teddi, played by Abby McEnany and Robin Weigert, respectively, feed assignments to Colter and monitor his progress. Eric Graise plays Bob Exley, who is a one-person tech department, never failing to send Colter what he needs to solve the case. Fiona Rene plays Rene, a lawyer who comes to Colter’s rescue whenever he’s arrested – something that often happens.
Eric Graise as Bobby Exley (Photo: Michael Courtney/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Colter lives in a silver Airstream, more convenient and less expensive than hotels, and drives a dark blue truck. That mobility allows him to show up where he’s most needed. And the people who call on Colter are desperate. Local police may have failed to find the missing person, or even come up with promising leads. Colter has a good bedside manner, asking the right questions, doing more listening than talking, and not giving his clients false hope. He will only take the reward money when he finds the person alive. And in some cases, he takes less than the reward or allows a payment plan.
Reactions from local law enforcement run the gamut and Colter is prepared for whatever he has to deal with. Police officers who welcome his help will share information, while those threatened with the competition will try to shut him down. While Colter has a registered firearm, he depends on the skills he learned from his father, and the human insights he learned from his mother, who was a psychiatrist. Colter’s hunts take him into the wilderness – in one episode he jumps out of a plane – where he literally becomes a tracker. But his ability to read people’s facial expressions and physical demeanor gives him information that can help fill in the blanks.
Photo: Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw (Photo: Darko Sikman/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Colter is Hartley’s first lead, but most recently he gained attention and praise for his role as Kevin Pearson in This Is Us. Kevin is an actor whose claim to fame was playing The Manny – a male nanny – in a hit show, an identity he could never escape. The role required Hartley to display a wide range of emotions as Kevin tries to balance his professional life as an actor with his personal life, including battling addiction. Fans of This Is Us will see much of Kevin in Hartley’s performance, especially as it pertains to dealing with family issues. These scenes are where the in-control Colter can show his vulnerability as he deals with haunting memories from his past. So the question remains: Colter can help families find answers, but will he ever find the closure he needs? Another plot line that makes this show so fascinating.
Top: Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw. Photo: Michael Courtney/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Tracker can be seen on CBS and streamed on Paramount+
