SPOILER ALERT! This submit incorporates particulars from the Season 1 finale of Tracker.
Colter Shaw is off the case — however simply till the following fall broadcast season begins.
Season 1 of CBS‘ Tracker ended Sunday night time with one in every of Colter’s (Justin Hartley) hardest and most private instances but when a household good friend’s daughter goes lacking whereas storm chasing with a good friend. Officers are sure that she and her good friend have been misplaced at sea, however Colter isn’t so positive.
Not solely does he use his distinctive abilities to convey Lizzy’s daughter house, he additionally is ready to expose the seedy underbelly of the city that’s overlaying up her disappearance, which is linked to a string of different crimes.
Audiences have been left on a cliffhanger as, on the finish of the episode, Colter uncovers one more cryptic truth about his previous, leaving him with extra questions on his household’s involvement in his father’s loss of life.
Because it seems, Lizzy (Jennifer Morrison) had been protecting a field of his father’s issues, which she not too long ago despatched to his sister Dory, who had failed to say something about that final time she and her brother had spoken about their dad. In actual fact, she’d even dismissed Colter’s issues in regards to the particulars of their father’s loss of life when he’d discovered new data that related his dad to some shady authorities dealings.
Star and govt producer Justin Hartley spoke with Deadline about that finale episode in addition to what’s in retailer for Season 2 as Colter proceed to unravel the thriller surrounding his household.
DEADLINE: The episode ends on a reasonably large cliffhanger about Colter’s household, insinuating his sister and mother could also be overlaying some issues up. How did you are feeling about the place all of it left off?
JUSTIN HARTLEY: I really feel nice about it, to reply your query. When you’ve gotten a present like this, and also you finish it in such a great way, and also you wrap up all these tales in a fairly little bow, it’s cool, and it’s nice. However we have now a complete different season to shoot that we have now to make higher than Season 1. So…whereas we wished all these storylines wrapped up, we additionally wished these bows to form of result in different questions— greater, deeper questions — about his previous. So I believe we did that in answering a few of these questions that we had constructed up all 12 months. I believe we did a great job of creating positive that the solutions to these questions then result in an even bigger thriller, one thing that we are able to unpack in Season 2.
DEADLINE: In an earlier episode, Colter was capable of reconcile a bit together with his brother. Do you assume that Colter actually believes his brother is harmless now? The place does he stand on that familial thriller?
HARTLEY: I may very well be completely incorrect, however now that the season’s over, I’ll inform you what I what I did. What Colter does is he finds folks, and he reads folks. He reads physique language. He can take a look at folks. He seems to be into their eyes, and he understands folks. He’s a soulful man himself as properly. I selected in that second when Jensen [Ackles] was me, and the best way that he was taking part in it, I selected in that second, simply based mostly on his efficiency, mainly, that I used to be going to essentially, actually wish to consider him.
So I believe that’s the place Colter is. Clearly, he doesn’t have all of the solutions. He’s the sort of man that he’ll flip each rock and guarantee that it’s 100% by hook or by crook. He’s a proportion man. However I believe if he was placing a proportion on it, I believe he would say, he’s 85% positive that Russell didn’t do it. I believe that by the top of Episode 12, he’s 95% positive that Russell didn’t do it. Within the finale, you discover out that Lizzie has been speaking to Russell each infrequently. There’s one thing else is occurring. So perhaps he didn’t push him, however did he plan one thing? He is aware of numerous details about that night time that Colter doesn’t know. It’s very odd. There’s their stuff on this field that they’re not sharing it with Colter. There’s a cause for that. So does Colter assume that he pushed him off the cliff now? Most likely not. However does he assume that he had nothing to do with something or doesn’t have any information about his father’s loss of life? And that he’s utterly in the dead of night similar to Colter is? I don’t assume that’s the case both.
DEADLINE: As an actor, do you favor to know the place the story goes and what the actual reply is, or do you favor to remain in the dead of night as properly?
HARTLEY: Nicely, I’m a curious man. I can’t actually assist myself however to brainstorm. Additionally, it’s robust as a result of I’m behind the scenes slightly bit too, being an EP. So I sort of know the story. I could make up tales in my head, however I do know a few of the info.
DEADLINE: So you have already got all of it deliberate out?
HARTLEY: We’ve data there. However then there are issues that occur all year long the place, as an illustration, you might need a visitor star that comes on, and it simply clicks…Okay, now we’re utilizing extra of that. So all of these tales, these aren’t issues that we have now mapped out for 5 years going, ‘Okay, he’s going to work together with this characters 17 instances from…’ We don’t have that. We simply sort of know the place that’s going. However so far as the precise occasion that occurred, and who’s accountable for it, we have now that. Now, the best way that you simply get there adjustments all through the season, since you might need one thing occurring, and you intend it a sure method, and you’ve got all of your geese in a row, after which swiftly, one thing pops in, you’re like, ‘Whoa, that is particular, we must always hang around right here slightly bit longer than we thought.’
Then there are different instances the place you’ve gotten an concept, and also you assume it’s going to be superb on paper, and then you definitely see it, you’re like, ‘Okay, we must always transfer on from this, as a result of I believe we’ve advised that story, and it’s time to go.’ The fellows that I work with, Elwood and Ken, they’re very collaborative. I assume no concept is a silly concept, however I’ve had a few actually, actually silly concepts. However typically these concepts result in higher concepts. Typically somebody can take your silly concept and go, ‘Nicely, what if this?’ After which swiftly, it turns into one thing slightly bit higher than what you had.
DEADLINE: A number of the instances this season are fairly wild. They’ll begin in a single place, and find yourself someplace I by no means anticipated. Is that what you imply?
HARTLEY: It’s robust, as a result of you must make these instances sensible, as a result of the viewers is wise. You may have Colter, who’s very sensible and resourceful. You may have Bobby, who’s very sensible and resourceful. You may have Reenie, who’s very sensible and resourceful. And you’ve got an viewers who’s actually sensible and resourceful. We make each effort to nail each single level. We’re not 100%. We make errors on a regular basis. In each episode, we make errors, I’m positive. I do know that I do. However that’s not intentional, it’s not for lack of effort. We’re attempting to make it excellent. Finally, we’ll get there. After we make it excellent, we’ll cease. However till we make it excellent, we’ll maintain doing extra.
DEADLINE: So you bought to behave alongside your spouse, Sofia Pernas, once more. How did that concept come about, and the way was it to be again on set collectively?
HARTLEY: She hated it. [Laughs]. No, we have now a good time collectively. I simply thought it will be a very cool concept. It was form of my concept from the start to have this character that comes on that you simply simply talked about. I believe it was within the second episode, there was a giant reward for a automobile…there was a line that one of many women mentioned, ‘Phrase on the road is that Billie is circling the case.’ After which Coulter sort of eye rolls. When you’re actually paying consideration, you go ‘Oh, he’s acquired a rival, this man Billie.’
So my concept was to tease that and deliberately named the character Billie, after which reveal that Billie is, after all, Sofia. We didn’t get to tease that as a lot as I might have appreciated, simply because we have been so pressed with time. However that was the intention. Then when she got here on, to be sincere with you, I’m undecided how a lot of that character facet that she introduced was truly written. I believe you’re simply watching a proficient actor. There have been a couple of issues we had the good thing about discussing privately that, usually, you don’t have time to try this. However once you dwell with the individual, you may discuss that stuff at dinner, and go, ‘Hey, what about this?’ So we actually acquired an opportunity to dialogue that.
DEADLINE: Can we anticipate Billie again in Season 2?
HARTLEY: She’s positively coming again. We’ve some fairly cool stuff for her to do subsequent 12 months. She’ll be again a number of instances subsequent 12 months. We’ve plans to convey again my complete my household…We’ve numerous inquiries to reply with Colter’s mom. Jennifer Morrison does this actually fantastic efficiency. I believe we’d be remiss to not convey her again. We constructed this actually nice group of actors [who are] hopefully greater than prepared to return again, as a result of we’d like to play extra with them. We’ve a bunch of tales to inform with all [of them].
