‘Tracker’ season 2 release window, cast, and more

Trust a show all about an expert tracker to track itself down a season 2 renewal quicker than any other series. Yes, Justin Hartley fans keep on winning as Tracker is confirmed to be getting more episodes.

Tracker, starring the This is Us favorite and Smallville veteran, could not have created a bigger splash when it made its premiere in February, what with its series opener having the benefit of following the Super Bowl — and not just any Super Bowl either, but the most-watched TV event since the Moon Landing in ’69. Given that it’s probably no surprise that CBS made the rare move of announcing that a second season was happening after just four episodes, thanks to its enormously successful ratings already another run an inevitability.

It’s still early days, both on the season 2 front and for the series as a whole, but here’s what we do know about how the future adventures of Colter Shaw will shape up.

Tracker season 2 plot

In case you need a reminder, Tracker stars Hartley as the aforementioned Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist who lives a nomadic life traveling around the country, making a living as a “reward-seeker.” In essence, he uses his expert tracking abilities to help both citizens and law enforcement hunt down missing persons, items, and solve all kinds of mysteries. It sounds like a premise tailor-mode for network TV, but actually Tracker is based on the best-selling novel The Never Game from Jeffrey Deaver.

Prime Video’s similarly themed Reacher has found its own success in adapting a book series season by season, so perhaps we can look forward to Tracker doing the same. The Never Game is the first out of four books, plus four short stories, to be published by Deaver to date. So far, the series has played pretty loose with its source material, but season 2 could always draw elements from book 2, The Goodbye Man, in which Shaw investigates a mysterious organization in the wilderness of Washington State.

Tracker season 2 cast

Well, no prizes for guessing this one, but Justin Hartley will indeed be back as Shaw for Tracker season 2. Seeing as his small-screen star power is likely a big reason for its success, CBS wasn’t ever going to recast the role or turn the franchise into some kind of anthology series with a new lead each time. Seeing as Hartley is back, we can no doubt assume that season 1’s ensemble main cast will return as well. Namely, Shaw’s handlers, married lesbian couple Teddi Bruin (Robin Weingert) and Velma Bruin (Abby McEnany), and Reenie Greene (Fiona Rene), a brilliant attorney who helps Shaw get out of legal trouble when he needs it (which is often).

Tracker season 2 release window

Tracker‘s had a strange lifespan so far, as its inception was leisurely paced in order to make sure it was as good as can be, but then its actual production was fast-paced in order to make its much-ballyhooed premiere date. Tracker‘s pilot was delivered way back in November 2022, before it was decided to hold it off until the 2023/24 season. Unfortunately, the 2023 strikes then left producers scrambling to get it ready in time for its Super Bowl Sunday debut, and against all the odds they managed it.

Given the breakneck speed of production, and the alacrity with which this renewal has come along, it seems like a safe bet to assume season 2 won’t be far away. It could well kick off later this year, in time for the beginning of the 2024/25 season. In the meantime, catch Tracker season 1 as new episodes drop Sundays on CBS.