Tracker came out of the gate strong on CBS, an action drama starring This Is Us’ Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, a survivalist who travels across the U.S. finding missing persons and solving cases for reward money. Based on the Jeffrey Deaver book The Never Game, the series received a second season renewal, set to premiere in October of 2024.
The first season had a healthy 13 episodes, each following the same formulaic setup: Colter receives a case, works the case, gets into some type of danger, and then ultimately solves the case. Each episode also slowly develops an overarching story about Colter’s own life and fractured family dynamics.
Episode 8 Is About a Groom Presumed on the Run
The show had become fairly established in its timeslot by the time this episode aired. It followed the same trajectory as others but wasn’t quite as compelling. Colter is hired by a woman to find her missing fiancé, a dockworker who mysteriously disappeared just weeks before his wedding. It sounds like a cookie-cutter story of cold feet and a jilted bride, but the bride is either naïve or justly confident because she is sure her husband would never leave her. Something happened and she’s certain of it.
As Colter uncovers more and more, it seems like the husband is up to something nefarious. It doesn’t help that the supposedly now-changed man used to be involved in shady dealings. Some moments in this episode were far too clichéd. It’s also guilty of TV drama tropes, like the protagonist talking a man off a ledge before he does something he’ll regret. It also has a sweet (yet unbelievable) happy ending.
Episode 6 Introduces a Nemesis
This episode solidifies Tracker’s position as one of the best crime TV shows for new fans by shifting the focus from Colter looking for a missing person to a missing horse. It also introduces a nemesis, a woman who does the same thing he does (played by Hartley’s real-life wife Sofia Pernas). While the chemistry between them is electric (no surprise there since they are partnered in real life), that peripheral storyline detracts from what fans love most about the show, which is Colter doing his thing solo.
Nonetheless, the story had a new element with the missing subject being an animal and not a human. It was also a different dynamic to see Colter do a job with someone else. But the flashy parties, suit and tie, and the final dramatic scene were a bit too much, even for this show.
Episode 11 Touches on Family Dynamics
Introducing Melissa Roxburgh, best known for her starring role on Manifest, as Colter’s sister Dory, this episode finally offers up more detail about Colter’s personal life. It brings fans closer to what the family dynamic is like beyond Colter’s obvious disdain for his brother. Seeing how even Colter’s little sister can’t pin him down for long enough to have dinner gives viewers a deeper look into his psyche. He clearly does his work, at least in part, to keep himself busy and away from anything that might remind him of his past.
The case featured in this episode, meanwhile, is a compelling one about a young college student who goes missing. As Colter investigates, he discovers a plot that involves a corrupt professor and potentially dangerous lab work. Once again, it’s the ending that places this episode near the bottom of the list: it becomes almost cartoonish with Colter’s heroic “save the day” tricks. What’s most interesting about this episode, however, are the details that Dory reveals to Colter about their mother. She also finally gets through to him and convinces him to call Russell.
Episode 3’s Reward is Bittersweet
There’s a cringy police procedural trope that kicks off Episode 3, whereby Colter sees a woman putting up fliers about her missing friend and a man gets upset with her, telling her to leave well enough alone. Clearly, there’s something suspicious about that. Colter decides to help, even when the local police chief seems awfully anxious to get rid of him and keep a closed case closed.
