A lacking child. A rugged hero with a darkish previous. A thriller solved, and a nasty man nabbed in below an hour. The primary episode of Tracker was enjoyable, but it surely felt just a little formulaic. We have seen the sort of present earlier than, proper?
Scorching off the tail of the Taylor Bowl — I imply Tremendous Bowl — Tracker and its star, Justin Hartley, had been below lots of stress to ship.
Hold scrolling for our tackle Justin Hartley’s new function as Colter Shaw in Tracker.
Does Tracker Pack Sufficient Punch?
Tracker relies on the bestselling novel The By no means Sport by Jeffery Deaver. Hartley performs Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist who travels across the nation in his RV as a “reward seeker.”
He depends on his skilled monitoring expertise to assist legislation enforcement and personal residents in fixing mysteries.
With all this backstory, Tracker Season 1 Episode 1 fell just a little flat following the adrenaline rush of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ last-second Tremendous Bowl win. And that is probably not what you need from an motion sequence.
In any case, this wasn’t Meredith Gray along with her hand wrapped round a dwell bomb inside a person’s chest cavity. As an alternative, we received Justin Hartley’s calm voice speaking an injured girl down from a panic within the opening scene of Tracker.
Type of a sluggish begin. Already fielding comparisons to Reacher, what’s going to set Tracker and Hartley aside in a crowded motion panorama?
Does Justin Hartley Have Motion Performing Chops?
Hartley definitely checks all of the packing containers for an motion star. Dashing attractiveness. Persuasive attraction. Nice chemistry together with his costars.
Of us who skipped This Is Us won’t be accustomed to Hartley’s work — and perhaps that is a great factor. In a TV panorama the place the identical handful of actors cycle by means of tasks each season, it may be refreshing to see an unfamiliar face.
However followers of This Is Us could also be questioning if Hartley has what it takes to steer an motion sequence.
Whereas Hartley picked up a handful of award nominations for his flip as Kevin Pearson in This Is Us, he was usually outshined by the dramatic performances of his costars Sterling Okay. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia.
Following the designed-to-make-you-cry drama of This Is Us, Hartley appeared extra destined for the Hallmark film circuit than the following motion sequence. And he even appeared to go in that path, starring within the Netflix Christmas film The Noel Diary.
One factor that set Hartley’s function in Tracker aside was that he did not appear to be he was attempting too exhausting to be an motion star. He did not tackle a gravelly voice or undertake a steely-eyed stoicism. As an alternative, he was approachable, sincere, and, dare I say, comfortable.
His character wants folks to belief him, and the viewers must belief him, too.
Tracker Might Shine By Character Improvement
With an motion story like Tracker, we have to really feel like we get the primary character’s motivation. In any other case, why would we be invested?
It is exhausting to forgive just a little gentle law-breaking — like when Hartley’s Colter Shaw barricades himself within the again workplace of the Burger Bin to observe some CCTV footage — if we do not perceive why he is doing it.
Tracker definitely delivers on this level. Throughout the first ten minutes of the pilot, we be taught Shaw finds lacking folks for a residing. It is his livelihood.
By the tip of the episode, we uncover his true motivation. Shaw’s tragic backstory together with his off-the-grid father has led him to a lifetime of serving to folks.
All of the elements of a great story are there, even when the beginning was just a little sluggish. However is Hartley the precise man for the job?
Justin Hartley Might Shock Us
He is carried out some motion performing earlier than. Followers of Smallville could keep in mind a younger Hartley as Inexperienced Arrow for a number of seasons in the course of the present’s run.
Since then, Hartley has had time to hone his performing chops, however he is spent most of that point as half of a bigger ensemble solid.
Tracker is completely different. Colter Shaw is a lone wolf. There are help characters, however with a brand new thriller to unravel every episode, the majority of the present’s success falls on Hartley’s shoulders.
He appears as much as the duty. He does not have a protracted historical past of performing in motion reveals or films, so he brings a contemporary perspective. Reasonably than phoning in a repeat efficiency, Hartley can strategy the fabric with new concepts.
Viewers of this style aren’t going to be bored with seeing him. Followers of Hartley will not be seeing him in a task they’ve turn into too accustomed to. It is a win throughout.
On high of that, Hartley’s been identified to step exterior his norm and shock viewers.
His temporary however hilarious half reverse Kathryn Hahn in A Unhealthy Mother’s Christmas received actual stomach laughs out of me. He was in a position to slip right into a comedic function effortlessly, and he simply made me overlook in regards to the drama of This Is Us.
Justin Hartley’s able to tackle a brand new function, and we’re able to see him do it. Let’s hope the writing on Tracker can sustain.
Watch Tracker
Clearly, CBS has lots of confidence in Hartley’s potential to deliver Colter Shaw to life. They went straight-to-series on the present and premiered it straight after the largest televised occasion on the planet. That is not only a launch pad; that is a rocket enhance.
Episodes air on CBS and can be found the following day on Paramount+.
Will Tracker be a success, or will it turn into background noise? Tell us what you suppose!
Shela Ward is a senior workers author for TV Fanatic. You possibly can follow her on X.
