Sitting still unnerves Justin Hartley.
While making his new series, “Tracker,” Hartley had moments where he was on camera but wasn’t talking.
“It’s a bit scary in a way because you’re sitting there going, ‘OK, I’ve been silent for a good 40 seconds. Is that boring?’”
Coming from “This is Us,” Hartley had to realize a procedural series wasn’t all action. Yet he and Executive Producer Ken Olin (who also worked on the Emmy-winning NBC series) wanted to try something that was like “The Rockford Files” or “Mannix.”
“After six years of having babies and dogs, we wanted something that would be fun for us to do,” Olin says. “Justin wanted to carry a gun and get in fights. I was in the mood to try and find something that might harken back to the old P.I. shows that I grew up with. But I didn’t want to reboot a show.”
The two found their vehicle in “The Never Game,” a novel by Jeffrey Deaver. Retitled “Tracker,” the series finds Hartley as a survivalist who travels the country solving mysteries.
Justin Hartley plays Colter Shaw in "Tracker." hoto: Michael Courtney/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
That means much of the emphasis is on Hartley’s character, even though there’s a supporting cast to help him connect the dots.
“The workload is great,” Hartley says, after riffing about the “easier” life on “This is Us.” “I have always wanted this and it’s not work. It’s really the story that matters. When you watch the finished product, it all becomes worth it. It’s hard…but I’m not complaining.”
Shot in Vancouver, “Tracker” includes references to the character’s childhood and the way he learned his tracking skills.
“I think he enjoys the action and the fun and the excitement (of the career), but when you look at his past, the way he was brought up and what happened to his father…you see it all makes sense,” Hartley says. “He’s a product of his environment.”
While Olin and Hartley have the book for reference, they’re using it as a jumping off point, not a bible. Even changing the show’s name was deliberate.
“Look, there is no game involved,” Olin says. “We didn’t want people to watch the show and see this guy rescuing somebody in the desert and wonder when the game would start…it was just the title of one of the books about Colter Shaw. It was a practical decision and, I think, a really smart one.”
Premiering after the Super Bowl, “Tracker” will have a built-in audience that could stick around for weeks to come.
“It’s an incredibly opportunity,” Olin says. “It’s better to have this pressure than not have this pressure.”
Also, it’s an opportunity to see Hartley in a different situation – not as the “This is Us” son waffling on commitment.
Having Deaver’s book as a resource is a comfort, Hartley says. “But it’s like having an acting technique. In a way, I find you barely ever use it. But the fact that it’s there gives you comfort. New characters come on (each week) but you always have the source material in the back of your head.”
Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley), a lone-wolf survivalist who roams the country as a reward seeker, using his expert tracking skills to help priva…
Because “This is Us” was so huge, Hartley knows it will be difficult to duplicate. “I’m proud of what we’ve done because that was a special time in my life. Somehow, I was able to get a second shot at it (and) I think we have something really special. We pour our hearts into it…and you will be entertained.”
And, yes, Hartley adds, “we do have guns and fights, so it’s a lot of fun.”
“Tracker” premieres Feb. 11 on CBS following the Super Bowl.
Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw.
Movie critic Bruce Miller says “The Greatest Night in Pop” is a wonderful slice of history that shows what happens when stars check their egos at the door and produce something iconic.
