Justin Hartley’s Tracker Season 2 Hints at Returning Character and Eerie New Arrival
Fans will have to wait a bit longer for the return of Justin Hartley‘s popular CBS series Tracker, but the first images from the midseason premiere hint at a recognizable face — along with a mysterious new one.
Scheduled to return on Sunday, February 16, Tracker will center on Colter’s (Hartley) investigation into the disappearance of Gina Picket. After receiving a lead from retired officer Keaton (played by guest star Brent Sexton), Colter and Keaton team up to hunt down a serial killer known as The Teacher. The stills from the forthcoming episode also indicate that Ryan Dorsey’s character, Frank Whales, will return after his debut earlier this season.
Additionally, the episode features Nicholas Lea as Noah Darview, who appears with a haunting mask. The midseason premiere is set to continue immediately after Colter makes a breakthrough in his long-standing case.
“We got into something. It wasn’t our fault, heavy stuff — we didn’t have a choice,” a former colleague of Frank’s tells Colter about dealing with someone referred to as The Teacher. “[He] had knowledge about us. Bad things. He used it to control us. Even others. He kept a long line of pretty boys to do his bidding.”
The Teacher manipulated Frank into leading Gina to a location known as The Farm. “He claimed he planted things there,” the unnamed associate disclosed before Colter inquired about Gina’s status. The scene faded to black, revealing a “To be continued” message.
Hartley, 47, previously hinted that the case concerning Gina will dominate much of the second season.
“When [Gina goes missing], Colter makes a vow to [her sister] Camille — and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he no longer makes promises to [his clients]. He states, ‘I will bring her home… I will bring him home,’” he shared with TVLine in October 2024. “He mentions, ‘I will do my best… to try.’ This is the reason.”
Hartley hinted that exploring Colter’s history with Camille (Floriana Lima) will reveal more intricacies, stating, “[This storyline] has been constructed in such a way that, upon reflection, you realize, ‘Oh man, that was a key moment in Colter’s life that altered the way he interacts with his work and with others.’”
Even with an 11-week wait for more clarity, Tracker is enjoying a thriving sophomore season on CBS. The season 2 premiere in October 2024 attracted 8.3 million viewers, marking nearly a 10 percent increase compared to the season 1 finale. This premiere also achieved the highest viewership for the series since it launched in February 2024 after the Super Bowl.
Tracker has now become the most-watched broadcast premiere since Mark Harmon’s final episode of NCIS in September 2021. Its average viewership stands at 18.2 million per episode according to Paramount+ and broadcast metrics. According to Variety’s annual list of the year’s 100 most-watched primetime shows, episodes of Tracker accounted for 15 of those spots.
Tracker is back on CBS Sunday, February 16, at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes will be available for streaming the following day on Paramount+.
