Is Jason Ritter Headed to Tracker? Justin Hartley Teases a Cameo
After Tracker’s cast shake-up, Justin Hartley says he’s all-in on a Jason Ritter cameo — a Matlock-to-Tracker crossover that suddenly feels within reach.
Justin Hartley basically put up a neon sign for Jason Ritter to swing by Tracker. After some recent cast shake-ups, Hartley says there is absolutely a lane for Ritter to drop in — even if it means making him the one who needs rescuing.
How we got here
Ritter (46) has been lobbying for this in the most polite, actor- to-actor way. He told Us Weekly that he and Hartley are friends and floated a simple idea: his Matlock character, Julian, might be between gigs, so why not have Colter train him up and go find people together? He was pitching versions of this months ago too, joking before Tracker season 3 wrapped in August 2025 that if the show ever wanted Colter to have a partner, maybe Julian quits the firm and starts a new life on the road with him — his words, two rugged guys.
Hartley is in
Hartley (49) heard all that and greenlit the vibe on CBS Mornings. He said he has talked to Ritter a couple of times, thinks he is very funny and seriously talented, and sounded fully ready to make it happen. Also, if Ritter wants to play the 'damsel in distress'? Even better — Hartley is game to build something around that.
"We could find a role for him."
The peanut gallery (lovingly) weighs in
Matlock costar Skye P. Marshall has seen Ritter try to squint his way into 'rugged' on set — think James Dean pose — and she is not buying it. Her take: if he pops up on Tracker, he is the guy who gets grabbed by the bad guys. Please, for everyone's safety, don't hand him a gun.
Ritter, to his credit, agrees. He joked that on TV a guy like him can be a hero, but in real life he'd probably get blindsided, beg for help, and make the whole mission 20 times harder by getting captured. He also admitted he's unusually good at playing 'the person who needs to be saved' and, when pressed on becoming Colter's next in-distress case, he basically told Hartley to call anytime.
The short version
- Ritter pitched a Matlock-to-Tracker cameo to Us Weekly, first teasing it back in August 2025 before Tracker season 3 ended, then doubling down again this month.
- Hartley responded on CBS Mornings: he loves the idea, loves Ritter, and says they can find the right part — including making him the one who needs rescuing.
- Skye P. Marshall roasted Ritter's 'rugged' look and voted for 'kidnapped guest star,' which Ritter cheerfully endorsed.
So, will it actually happen?
Nothing official yet, but the door is wide open, and the behind-the-scenes wrinkle here is fun: both shows are on CBS, so this is not some wild cross-company legal maze. If Tracker is retooling a bit after those cast departures heading into season 4, dropping Ritter into an episode as Colter's complicated, capture-prone tagalong makes a lot of sense — and everyone involved seems very up for it.
Tracker airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount+.