Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for ‘Tracker’ Season 4, Episode 1.Tracker is a comforting show to binge-watch. You don’t have to work too hard to enjoy it, because the formula is simple. Justin Hartley plays Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist who tracks down missing people for reward money. Almost every episode of this addictive action thriller gives you a fresh case, a ticking clock, and a clear answer before the credits roll. It’s truly easy to watch. You can start one episode after dinner and end up watching three by bedtime.
Tracker Season 4 has officially started, and a problem that the series has had since Season 1 is starting to become clear. Season 4, Episode 1, “Safe Harbor,” gives us another entertaining case when Colter tracks down a man named Sean after his son reports him missing. The show has moved to Los Angeles, and the Season 3 mysteries involving Ashton and Russell still hover in the background. The premiere is a lot of fun. However, I hoped Colter would investigate a case that actually challenges him.
Colter Shaw Is Too Perfect in the ‘Tracker’ Season 4 Premiere
Since CBS’s Tracker is about Colter solving missing-person cases, he doesn’t need to become suddenly incompetent just so the show can manufacture some drama. He needs to solve a case that makes him question himself, however.
In Season 4, Episode 1, “Safe Harbor,” a kid named Charlie reaches out because his father has vanished. Colter follows clues that lead him to a trafficking operation at the port. He survives the shootout and pulls Stephanie and a container full of people to safety. While I enjoyed watching Colter at work, I never worried about him, and that bothered me.
Yes, the episode tries to establish a personal link between Colter and Charlie. Colter was around Charlie’s age when he lost his own father, and Charlie’s mother died two years ago. It’s a lovely parallel, yet it only surfaces in their final conversation and never shapes the case itself. Season 3 handled this much better. In Season 3, Episode 14, “The Field Trip,” Colter helped a volatile father search for his missing son. Since the season kept circling around the truth about his father Ashton, so the case hit close to home.
It’s possible that the writers deliberately didn’t pick up taht narrative thread. That’s fine, because the season has plenty of time to get there. But if Season 4 wants to make Colter more compelling, it needs to make him less invincible. Thankfully, the show’s new creative direction echoes my sentiment.
‘Tracker’ Season 4 Already Knows Colter Needs To “Fail”
Showrunner Elwood Reid has already teased what’s coming for Colter. In a post-premiere interview with TVLine, he said that the writers are considering whether Colter could encounter a longer-running threat or a case that uncovers a darker secret. More importantly, he stated they want this season’s cases to leave Colter with more “emotional scars.”
“What we’re trying to do is have him take on a few more scars. Like, does he not always win? Does he fail? What does that look like? Does he make a mistake and it costs someone their life? So those are definitely places we’re going this year…. It’s not always going to be a happy ending.”
Reid also told TV Fanatic in September 2026 that he wants to challenge Colter both emotionally and physically. He floated a tougher idea: What if one of the people Colter chases gets away? While that question sounds simple, it would be effective if the show could pull it off.
“How could we bring Colter, crumble him a little, and bang him up a little emotionally and physically? Those are the things we’re going to try to do this season.”
Overall, Tracker has proven that it can win hearts every Sunday, and it’s a joy to watch. I’m looking forward to seeing more and hope that the series can transform into so much more than just a comforting show.
- Release Date
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February 11, 2024
- Network
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CBS
- Showrunner
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Elwood Reid
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Justin Hartley
Colter Shaw
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