Tracker‘s midseason premiere didn’t waste any time following Justin Hartley‘s Colter solving his biggest case yet — with Ryan Dorsey‘s help — but is this the end?
During the Sunday, February 17, episode of CBS’ hit series, Colter picked up right where he left off trying to track down Gina’s kidnapper. Dorsey’s character, Frank, was recruited by Colter and retired cop Keaton (Brent Sexton) to help track down a serial killer known as The Teacher.
Colter slowly learned about how Frank started as The Teacher’s victim before being forced to find girls to bring back to the criminal. Frank picked up Camille’s (Floriana Lima) sister from her job at the mall after lying to her about who he was. He dropped her off at the farm and never heard about her again.
Frank’s insight led to a solid lead that resulted in him and Colter out in the middle of nowhere. Both were ready to face off with The Teacher but Colter made Frank stay behind out of a lack of trust. Colter found a new victim, who he was able to save, but The Teacher subsequently found him. Frank stepped in to write his wrongs, which ended with him dead after sacrificing himself.
Ultimately, it was confirmed that Gina was killed by The Teacher. Camille was able to find closure — as did Colter after not being able to solve the missing persons case for years. Hartley, 47, previously teased that the Gina case would take up most of the second season.
Ryan Dorsey as Frank Whales in ‘Tracker.’ Darko Sikman/CBS
“When [Gina disappears], Colter makes a promise to [her sister] Camille — and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he never promises [his clients] anymore. He says, ‘I will bring her home … I will bring him home,’” he told TVLine in October 2024. “He says, ‘I am going to do my best … to try.’ This is why.”
Hartley hinted that digging into Colter’s past with Camille will unlock more details, adding, “[This story line] has been built in a way that, when you look at it, you go, ‘Oh man, that was a pivotal moment in Colter’s life that changed the way he approaches his work and his relationships with other people.’”
Fans of Justin Hartley‘s hit CBS series Tracker don’t have to wait too long for a second season. The procedural, which is based on Jeffery Deaver‘s novel The Never Game, premiered in February after Super Bowl LVIII and immediately found its audience. Viewers were settling in every week to see their favorite fictional survivalist a.k.a […]
It remains unclear where Colter goes from here. Fans, however, are on the edge of their seats as they await guest appearances from Jensen Ackles, Sofia Pernas, Melissa Roxburgh and more. Roxburgh, 32, who plays Colter’s sister Dory, recently spoke to Us Weekly exclusively about reprising her role in the near future.
“I mean, I hope so. I had so much fun on that show,” she shared after moving to star on The Hunting Party. “Justin is great. It’s such a lovely and warm set [because] Justin does such a good job of making it that way.”
Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw in ‘Tracker.’ Darko Sikman/CBS
Roxburgh continued: “So I’d love to go back. Justin is a friend and it’s nice to play with your friends and I love the show, so we’ll see.”
Tracker, which premiered in February 2024, is centered around a survivalist named Colter who travels the country helping to solve a variety of mysteries. Despite making Us wait 11 weeks for new episodes, Tracker has dominated viewership with the season 2 premiere bringing in 8.3 million total viewers, which was nearly 10 percent up in viewership from the season 1 finale. The season 2 premiere also marked the show’s highest audience since the series debuted in February 2024 after the Super Bowl.
Tracker has since been coined the most-watched broadcast premiere since NCIS‘ final episode with Mark Harmon in September 2021. Its average viewership is 18.2 million per episode according to their Paramount+ and broadcast measurements. Variety‘s annual list of the year’s 100 most-watched primetime telecasts revealed that Tracker episodes earned 15 spots.
Tracker airs on CBS Sundays at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.