Justin Hartley Commends Tracker Set for Its ‘No Yelling’ Atmosphere
Justin Hartley takes his leadership role in Tracker very seriously, especially regarding the set environment.
“The atmosphere we experienced on This Is Us was all about the baby. The baby was the show,” Hartley, 49, shared in a recent episode of the “I Am an Actor” podcast. “I expressed my desire to maintain that throughout my career.”
Hartley has adopted a similar mindset for CBS’ popular series.
“I want to ensure that spirit carries over to Tracker, and we’ve successfully done that,” he emphasized. “There’s no shouting and none of that bizarre behavior that can sometimes arise on sets. They can become high-pressure environments, and we strive to avoid that.”
It was crucial for Hartley that Tracker approached these issues differently. “We aim to avoid that. It’s not helpful,” he added. “It doesn’t benefit people much.”
Hartley concluded: “[We try to] safeguard this environment. Advocate for yourself and maintain respect; it’s incredibly important.”
Hartley serves as both the lead and an executive producer on the show, which resonated with audiences immediately upon its release. Following its Super Bowl debut in February 2024, Tracker became the most-watched broadcast premiere in three years, surpassing the previous record held by NCIS’s final episode featuring Mark Harmon in September 2021.
Audience numbers continued to rise, with CBS reporting in December 2024 that Tracker averaged 18.2 million viewers per episode based on their Paramount+ and broadcasting metrics.
As Tracker broke TV records and increased viewership, Hartley attributed the show’s unique storytelling as its distinguishing factor.
“One of the things I cherish about [my character] Colter is that he unapologetically embraces his masculinity,” he told Men’s Journal in August 2025. “I believe that’s what people are searching for. You begin to ask, ‘What kind of people do I want in my circle?’ Especially: ‘What kind of male friends do I truly value?’”
Hartley was excited about the positive example they can provide with Colter.
“I think we’ve developed a character that is truly emotionally mature, and he genuinely seeks to understand why people act the way they do,” Hartley elaborated. “The truth is, [executive producer] Ken Olin and I aimed to create a show that harkens back to the past. We wanted a fresh take on procedural storytelling, where our character evolves over time.”
Hartley added: “He doesn’t just remain the same from week to week. We hoped viewers would appreciate it, and thankfully, they ended up loving it. There’s definitely a strong desire for shows like this.”
Tracker is available for streaming on Paramount+.
