Posted in: CBS, TV | Tagged: colbert, Justin Hartley, tracker
Tracker Star Justin Hartley Saves Stephen Colbert's Day (VIDEO)
Tracker star Justin Hartley checked in with late-night host Stephen Colbert, with Hartley helping Colbert track down something special.
Even with the second season premiere of CBS's hit series Tracker less than ten days away, series star Justin Hartley (NBC's This Is Us) found some time to help out a fellow CBS family member in need. On Thursday night, Hartley helped late-night host Stephen Colbert recover his coffee mug after an irritating cough led Colber to realize that his mug had gone missing. Thankfully, Colbert was able to head backstage (yup, it was pre-taped) to hit up Hartley for some help recovering it. It's a fun segment that finds Colbert offering CSI: Miami fans something they'll appreciate, a chase through the audience during the "live show, and much more.
Here's a look at the segment from Thursday night's episode of CBS's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:
Tracker Season 2 Episode 1: "Out of the Past" Preview
Tracker Season 2 Episode 1: "Out of the Past" – While investigating the strange disappearance of a missing family whose car was found abandoned on the side of the road in the backwoods of Arkansas, Colter (Justin Hartley) makes a shocking discovery about the mother's past that leads him into the world of organized crime. Also, Reenie (Fiona Rene) opens up her new law firm and enlists Velma's (Abby McEnany) help in setting up shop. Written by Elwood Reid and directed by Ken Olin, here's a sneak preview and at the image gallery for the second season opener:
Speaking with EW, Hartley and Showrunner Elwood Reid offered some additional insights into what viewers can expect from Colter and Russell's reunion during the season's second episode. First up, you have to love the premise – a case where UFOs may (or may not) be involved. Reid teased that Russell will re-enter Colter's life at the "highest point" in the case – and that will lead to the brothers gaining another piece of the puzzle that is their family's real backstory."There's a secret that is revealed about their father that lands with both brothers. There's a memory you'll see that Colter doesn't have that his brother does about Colter and their father," Reid shared, with better communication between the brothers possibly leading to quicker answers. "Jensen [Ackles] came, and he enhanced [the character] in every way. He augmented the character with the tiny touches he adds as an actor, so he made this his own in a big way," Hartley shared about working with Ackles and how he made the character of Russell his own.
"It has more to do with the family thing. We left off first season with Colter having a lot of questions. He doesn't even know who he can trust anymore. At the very beginning of last season, he thought his brother was involved in his father's death, and then come to find out, wait a minute, he might not have had anything to do with it. Also, why is Dory [their sister, played by Melissa Roxburgh] hiding all this stuff?" Hartley shared during an interview from early in September, noting that Ackles' return will also see a deeper dive into the mysteries surrounding their family's backstory.
"So, Russell comes back, and Colter's got a couple of questions for him about this Dory situation and the box that she has and does Russell know where it is? Russell's also pretty heroic in Episode 2 and they get involved in this really black ops, kind of strange thing. And these government officials start asking about our dad out of the blue, and you're like, 'Whoa, what's this all about?' So, in every episode, Dad is becoming a little more vindicated, maybe, or just maybe completely nuts. We don't know. We dive a little bit deeper into that," Hartley added.
Based on the bestselling novel The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver, the CBS series spotlights Hartley's Colter, a lone-wolf survivalist who roams the country as a reward seeker, using his expert tracking skills to help private citizens and law enforcement solve all manner of mysteries while contending with his own fractured family. Produced by 20th Television, CBS's Tracker stars Hartley (Colter Shaw), Fiona Rene (Reenie), Robin Weigert (Teddi), Abby McEnany (Velma), and Eric Graise (Bobby). Hartley, Ken Olin, Elwood Reid, and Ben Winters executive-produce, with Deaver producing.