TV Tuesday: Tracker

Book By Book

Several of our favorite shows have returned for new seasons (including Will Trent, The Rookie, and So Help Me, Todd! – my reviews & trailers at the links). But there is one new show that began in February that we’re really enjoying: Tracker.

Colter Shaw, played by Justin Hartley (who played Kevin on This Is Us), is a loner who travels all over the U.S. in his pick-up truck and classic Airstream trailer (a set-up my husband drools over in every episode!). Colter calls himself a “rewardist”–he earns a living by finding missing people when a reward is offered. Teddi, played by Robin Weigart, and Velma, played by Abby McEnany, coordinate his schedule and business and help him from afar. His buddy, Bobby (played by Eric Graise), is a disabled vet in Chicago who helps out with some mad hacking skills. And he gets an occasional assist from Reenie, played by Fiona Rene, a talented lawyer with whom he definitely has a history. Mostly, though, it’s just Colter out on his own, tracking missing persons in locations all over the country, and avoiding getting too close to even his closest friends, like Bobby and Reenie. In the first episode, we learn that he had a difficult upbringing, with a survivalist father who had the family living in a remote area in the woods. That’s where he learned his excellent tracking skills, though his childhood also left him with some emotional scars.

Each episode takes place in (and is named for) a different place and focuses on a new case, and in each one, as Colter is searching for the missing person, we learn a little bit more about him. For those who enjoy travel and the outdoors (that’s us!), there is plenty of beautiful nature footage in widely varied places. Hartley is excellent in the lead role, and we’re enjoying all of his co-stars, too. And talk about writing credentials! The show is based on a novel, The Never Game, by thriller all-star Jeffrey Deaver and was created and adapted for television by Ben H. Winters, another of our favorite authors (see my review of his The Last Policeman mystery-apocalyptic trilogy). The mysteries and suspense here are great, and it also has character depth and emotional complexity. We’re loving it so far and can’t wait to see where Colter goes next!

Tracker is currently airing on CBS on Sunday evenings, with seven episodes so far, so it is available On Demand and on Paramount+ (CBS’ streaming service). It’s also available on Pluto TV, Hulu, and for a fee on major Pay-On-Demand sites including Amazon Prime (starting at $1.99 per episode or $19.99 for the first season).