Justin Hartley returned to network TV early in the 2024 TV schedule for Tracker as his first series regular gig since the end of This Is Us back in 2022. The new CBS drama was an immediate hit, becoming the show that topped the ratings in the 2023-2024 TV season. He embraced what he described as the "grueling" schedule to play Colter Shaw, and he'll be back on the airwaves come fall. Ken Olin, who worked with Hartley on both This Is Us and Tracker, gave the actor some well-earned praise and a comparison to NCIS icon Mark Harmon.
Ken Olin was an executive producer and director for NBC's This Is Us before coming to CBS to re-team with Justin Hartley and fill the same roles. Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Olin shared how Hartley is similar to both NCIS' Mark Harmon and another TV great:
[He’s like James Garner and Mark Harmon] – these appealing guys that have depth and an intimacy with the camera that is really well-suited to broadcast television.
Considering that Mark Harmon's NCIS character is so iconic that a prequel series based on Gibbs is set to premiere on CBS in the fall, that's a pretty flattering comparison! The late James Garner also had a lot of TV experience that spanned both drama and comedy, on shows like The Rockford Files and 8 Simple Rules. CBS certainly wasted no time in renewing Tracker for Season 2 and letting Hartley recruit guest stars like Jennifer Morrison and Jensen Ackles.
Ken Olin also wasn't the only one recently singing the star's praises. CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach told the outlet:
[Hartley] is a true, true TV star.
There really was no denying that Justin Hartley was a TV star even before Tracker became such a big hit earlier this year. Prior to This Is Us, he had healthy runs on shows like The Young and the Restless, Mistresses, and Smallville. Suffice it to say that his career would have been quite different if he'd played Oliver Queen on The CW's Arrow after playing a very different version on Smallville! All in all, his current CBS hit may have cemented his status as a TV leading man, since he was previously part of more ensemble series.
While it's certainly too early to predict if Hartley could have as long a tenure on CBS as Mark Harmon – who starred in eighteen seasons of NCIS before departing early in Season 19 – I think it's safe to say that plenty of eyes will be on Sunday nights when Tracker returns in the fall. The Season 1 finale ended on a bombshell reveal for Colter, and fallout is sure to come in Season 2... hopefully with Jensen Ackles and/or Melissa Roxburgh back as Colter's siblings.
The finale ended on Colter getting some concerning news about Roxburgh's Dory and the door was very much still open on Ackles' Russell following his episode (with some Supernatural Easter eggs), so my fingers are crossed to see the Shaw siblings back together at some point in the new season.
Tracker returns for Season 2 on Sunday, October 27 on CBS. If you want to revisit Justin Hartley's first round as a CBS leading man, you can find the full first season streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
