CBS Breaks Silence – Confirms Longstanding Rumors about “Tracker'” season 2 !
- Appearances by This Is Us actors in Tracker season 2 would introduce a new on-screen dynamic with Justin Hartley.
- If Young Randall actor Niles Fitch were to star in Tracker season 2, it would be his first time acting opposite Hartley.
- Chrissy Metz’s emotional range makes her a perfect fit for a guest role in Tracker season 2 alongside Hartley’s Colter.
As Tracker season 1 ends, conversations begin about which This Is Us cast members might appear in guest roles next season. Tracker has become a popular series that stars Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, a man who helps law enforcement and private citizens with his tracking skills. Before his lead role in Tracker, Hartley was most known for playing Kevin, one of the three Pearson kids in This Is Us. The drama series lasted for six seasons and explored various emotional storylines, creating bonds on and off-screen for the cast, and Tracker season 1 already saw a few crossovers between the two shows.
Behind the camera, Ken Olin works as an executive producer for Tracker, just as he did for This Is Us, and Jon Huertas directed episode nine, titled, “Aurora.” Huertas had previously acted alongside Hartley in This Is Us as Rebecca Pearson’s second husband, Miguel Rivas. Another co-star, Jennifer Morrison, played a pivotal role in Colter’s personal life as his friend Lizzy, revealing important details about his deceased father’s past. The case-per-week format of Tracker leaves plenty of room for guest appearances from other This Is Us actors, providing the opportunity for a fresh on-screen dynamic with Hartley.
Niles Fitch
Played a young Randall Pearson in This Is Us
Due to the use of flashbacks in This Is Us, younger actors are cast to portray the three Pearson siblings when they were younger. The young adult portrayal of Randall is played by Niles Fitch throughout the series. Hartley and Fitch didn’t get to act with one another in This Is Us, as they each portray a Pearson brother at differing times in their lives, so Tracker would be the first time they act opposite each other.
In his career, Fitch has played various minor roles in series such as Atypical and Mixed-ish. Like Tracker, another show that features a different case in each episode is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where Fitch played Keon Williams in the episode “Transgender Bridge.” Fitch has proven he can act in a drama series and while it’s unlikely the young actor would have any involvement in Colter’s backstory, Fitch could play one of the individuals Colter has to track down.
Played Kate Pearson in This Is Us
One of the heartwarming parts of This Is Us was watching the sibling dynamics throughout each season, including the brother and sister relationship between Kate and Kevin Pearson. Chrissy Metz plays Kate and captures the emotional vulnerability needed for the character’s relationship with Toby (Chris Sullivan), her journey through motherhood, and confronting the death of her father, Jack. While every actor on This Is Us brought the range of emotions needed for the drama series, there’s something special about Metz that makes sense for her to appear in Tracker season 2.
The bond between Metz’s Kate and Hartley’s Kevin differentiated from their relationships with other people, even their adopted brother Randall. Growing up as twins, there was an undeniable bond between Kevin and Kate. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but they truly understood one another. A similar chemistry is important for Metz’s guest starring character and Hartley’s Colter, as those whom he helps must be able to trust him.
Peter Onorati
Played Stanley Pearson in This Is Us
Onorati has starred in numerous crime-related series, such as The Rookie, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and S.W.A.T
Themes of alcoholism are brought up in each generation of the Pearson family and can be traced back to Jack’s father, Stanley Pearson, played by Peter Onorati. During Jack’s early childhood, his father was a model figure, but he grew to be abusive, and the fear that Jack once felt as a child turned into resentment when he was older. As a result of his upbringing, Jack worked to ensure a better life for his children, something Rebecca lets Stanley know before he passes away.
Onorati has an extensive career, ranging from the late 80s to the present day. Of his television roles, Onorati has starred in numerous crime-related series, such as The Rookie, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and S.W.A.T. Tracker‘s cast already includes various characters who aid Colter during his rescue missions and season 2 has the opportunity to expand this team. Having played a few law enforcement officials, like Jack Mumford in S.W.A.T., Onorati could join Colter’s group of assistants, even if his role is only temporary.
Played Rebecca Pearson in This Is Us
In This Is Us, Rebecca Pearson was married to Jack and was the mother of Kevin, Kate, and Randall. Portrayed by Mandy Moore, Rebecca’s journey was one of the heaviest in the show. From unexpectedly losing her partner and father of her children to her Alzheimer’s diagnosis and the uncertainties of motherhood in between it all, Moore tackled the emotional weight of Rebecca’s character arc with ease. After the finale of This Is Us, Moore has continued voicing Rapunzel in various Disney projects and had a main role in Dr. Death season 2.
Aside from this, Moore has been absent from TV screens. A role in Tracker season 2 would not only welcome Moore back to network television, but it provides a unique opportunity to see Hartley and Moore interact with one another outside of their previous character’s mother-and-son relationship. Due to her real-life persona and the ones she plays on-screen, Moore is widely liked, so a criminal role in Tracker would also be a departure worth exploring.
Played Nicholas “Nicky” Pearson in This Is Us
After Jack’s death, the three Pearson siblings were able to track down their uncle, Nicky. Played by Griffin Dunne, Nicky and Jack’s relationship was estranged following their time served in the Vietnam War. Jack’s children were made to believe Nicky had died in war, but they eventually learned the truth as adults and understood the contentious relationship between him and Jack. Similar to the actor playing his on-screen father, Peter Onorati, Dunne’s TV career consists of multiple minor parts in popular series, including an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, “Fashionable Crimes.”
Hartley and Dunne’s characters were particularly close in This Is Us. The two characters bonded over their habitual drinking and similar positions in their families. Since This Is Us‘ finale, Dunne has discussed his friendship with Hartley, saying, “It’s been really rewarding to have so many scenes with Justin” (via Today Show). This makes a reunion between the two in Tracker more likely, so long as Dunne’s schedule allows it.
Played Randall Pearson in This Is Us
Brown hasn’t given up on TV yet, lending his voice to various TV shows in recent years
Since the end of This Is Us, Sterling K. Brown has been focused on his film career, starring in Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. and American Fiction, the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Brown hasn’t given up on TV yet, lending his voice to various TV shows in recent years. However, Tracker season 2 could be Brown’s return to live-action roles on television.
Brown and Hartley shared the screen as adoptive brothers, Kevin and Randall Pearson. Throughout This Is Us, the relationship between the brothers fluctuated as Kevin felt resentment towards Randall when the two were younger because he was naturally skilled, intelligent, and seen as the favorite child. Though the conflict between Kevin and Randall never escalated to a point they couldn’t come back from, Brown’s character in Tracker could tell a different story. Even if he were to only appear in one episode’s case, Brown’s character could cause issues for Colter, allowing audiences to see a different side to the actor’s on-screen relationship.
Played Sophie Inman in This Is Us
Kevin’s wife, Sophie Inman, is played by Alexandra Breckenridge, who acted alongside Hartley as their characters found their way back to one another as adults. Sophie and Kevin weren’t emotionally prepared to be in a relationship with one another when they were kids, and it wasn’t until years later that the couple remarried. The history of Kevin and Sophie is one of the reasons they’re one of the main beloved couples on This Is Us.
Tracker has already set up some potential romance for Colter between Billie, played by Hartley’s wife Sofia Pernas, and Reenie (Fiona Rene), so it’s unlikely Breckenridge would play another love interest. However, Breckenridge could be a close associate to Colter, since the actors already have an established trust and chemistry with one another. Filming Virgin River during a few seasons of This Is Us led to Breckenridge being a guest star, so as long as commitments to Virgin River season 6 don’t clash with Tracker‘s filming schedule, a guest appearance by Breckenridge seems promising.
Played Jack Pearson in This Is Us
Ventimiglia’s character could likely be another citizen asking Hartley’s Colter to help search for his missing loved one.
The father of Hartley’s character in This Is Us is Jack Pearson, played by Milo Ventimiglia. Hartley and Ventimiglia worked together during all six seasons of This Is Us, though they didn’t share much screen time as Jack died before his kids were adults. This makes a reunion between the two actors all the more necessary. Ventimiglia’s character could likely be another citizen asking Hartley’s Colter to help search for his missing loved one.
Ventimiglia could also play a main role as someone involved in the biggest storylines expected from Tracker season 2, such as the mystery surrounding the death of Colter’s father. Before Tracker premiered, Hartley expressed his interest in reuniting with his This Is Us costars and joked about how the characters of each show could interact with one another. Hartley said, “Maybe we could find out [my character’s] such a good tracker, maybe he finds Jack [Pearson]. Like [maybe] he never died, something like that?” (via Entertainment Tonight).
