CBS’ hit series Tracker found time to show Justin Hartley‘s Colter Shaw get flirted with while on a case in New Jersey.
During the Sunday, March 2, episode, Colter received a favor assignment from Reenie (Fiona Rene) that took him to New Jersey. His search for a cupcake chain founder’s missing son turned into Colter being caught in the middle of a violent mafia war. Before Colter’s life was in danger though, he visited the missing son’s office — and left quite an impression on the receptionist.
“If I could take a look at his office, it would really make my day,” he told Janice (Alex Sgambati), who was reading a romance novel until she noticed him. “Well, you have already made mine.”
Janice surprised Colter when she accurately guessed his measurements, saying, “Let me guess. 6’3? Perfect 42 tall? 6 years at Nordstrom Rack — it was the worst job ever but …” Colter subsequently used her interest in him to gain access to Matt’s office and computer.
“I will give you five minutes [to take a look],” Janice told Colter before adding sultrily, “Come with me — stay close.”
Colter leaned into the flirtation by telling the receptionist that she was “such a great help.” He also gained more insight about the person he was looking for when he asked about Matt’s potential affair with another woman.
“I got the vibe that the two of them were up to something naughty,” Janice noted before giving Colter an intense look, adding, “[Affairs] happen all the time, right?”
Colter was ultimately able to find Matt but not before taking a beating from some mafia members first. This isn’t the first time Colter’s life was in danger while solving a case. The procedural, which is based on Jeffery Deaver’s novel The Never Game, has shown Us‘ favorite fictional survivalist traveling the country to help solve missing person cases and track down information on criminal cases, which has come with its own set of problems.
“We do have a running joke though, of how many times Colter has broken the law. Our grips department put together a list and it’s ridiculous. My idea was to have, maybe at the end of season 2, my wrap gift to everyone is going to be a hoodie that lists all of the things that he’s done,” Hartley joked with TheWrap in May 2024. “Like assault, breaking and entering, kidnapping, all that stuff. But it’s a long list already. Every episode, he’s doing something illegal, right?”
The CBS hit series, which has already been renewed for season 3, has also made an effort to make every viewer root for Colter.
“I think a lot of times, it’s all about the message or this political topic. Sometimes, it gets lost in the shuffle that we are entertainers. I want people to watch something and to be entertained,” Hartley explained to The Hollywood Reporter in February 2024. “Colter Shaw is not agenda-driven, necessarily. He’s a businessman. He takes the money, that’s how he makes his living. He’s not politically driven. He’s driven by doing the right thing. And, where does that come from? Well, that comes from his childhood, and we unpack that in the series.”
Tracker airs on CBS Sundays at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
